Most Dangerous Game
by TheyAlwaysUseADagger
Summary: It's time to play a game where winning means losing and losing means death. You may come out victorious, but at what cost? Eighteen players. Nine challenges, challengers, and lives. One Gamemaker. And as the challenges progress, so will the horror as they begin to realize what failure really means for their kidnapped friends, and what the Gamemaker wants. Rated T for violence only.
1. Chapter 1 - Introductions Are In Order

**Chapter One - Introductions Are In Order**

 **Hey guys! It's Dagger, back again with another Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction. This, however, is going to be much darker - unless I fail miserably - than the other stories I have written in this fandom. This is due to the fact that there is going to be a fair amount of violence. If that bothers you, then a highly suggest that you do not read this story. You have been advised.**

 **Anyways, this idea sprung from other ideas I was reading about that people have written. It's not a very happy plot, as I have said previously. However, I will let you guys see this for yourselves and stop my rambling. Brace yourselves, because here we go.**

 **Also, this will follow my typical style of first person writing! I will try to limit it to only one or two per chapter, but we will have to see.**

 **Also also (last thing I swear), Adrien and Marinette and any of the other characters their age are all adults. Think of it as them being in their early 20s, roughly. Keep that in mind when considering how old other characters might be. It's the summer, so none of them would be at college if they chose to attend one. I apologize if I do a bad job expressing that in this first chapter. Besides that, everything else will be explained.**

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 _"Hell is empty and all the devils are here."_

 _~ Shakespeare_

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 _Gamemaker's Point of View_

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I shove my keys into my pocket, taking my hand off of the steering wheel and opening the door. Once I've firmly planted both feet on the gravel below me, I shut my door and lock it. I've had this black pick-up truck for at least a year now, and she still works like a charm. That's impressive, if you are considering how much I have used her for. But she'd better keep holding up. After all, I have quite a bit in store, and she's going to help me do it. After all, she already has been.

Chuckling to myself at how easy this has been, I make my way towards the house in front of me. There's practically nothing around for miles, besides corn and other farms. There's a lone animal or two, but they've never been a problem. Maybe they sense something dark about my small, blue farmhouse. Well, if they do, then that's better for me. I won't be disturbed.

I slide my hand on the railing as I climb up the porch steps. It's so peaceful out here. It's actually quite calming. The house itself seems rather quaint, but I don't mind it. It keeps people away, whereas a big, grand house would call for everyone's attention. We can't have that. Shaking my head with another laugh, I pull out my key ring and unlock the three different locks on my door. After all, one can never be too careful. We wouldn't want anyone stumbling across my work out here. It's too precious to be lost, and I would lose it if anyone stumbled across it. Or something bad would happen to whoever found it.

I prefer the second option, although having it stay hidden would be more ideal than having it be discovered at all.

The door opens with a creak, and I look around one last time just to make sure I am alone. Once confident that that is the case, I step inside and close the door behind me. Most of the house still looks like it's covered in dust, which won't do at all. I know that I cleaned some of it yesterday, since I had the time, but I wasn't expecting it to be so dusty after only a few months without use. I'll have to spare some time to clean it, and I'm sure that I will have some. After all, this game is very well thought out this time. It is elaborate, with many players. Whose to say how long it will take?

It's all up to me. What a satisfying thought! Everything is always up to me in these games. Who plays, for example. I've chosen such wonderful players this time around. I am quite certain that this will be my favorite game so far, and I have so many fun things in store. The only thing that I cannot decide for sure is who wins. That is up to my wonderful players, but I like to think that no one ever truly wins.

No one except for me, that is.

I lock the door behind me before making my way over to my refrigerator. The kitchen is, sadly, not one of the places that I have done any cleaning in. However, perhaps that is the best. After all, it will certainly keep suspicions down if the house looks old and unused. In fact, despite the fact that I hate the grime, maybe I won't clean the house - at least not much - just to be safe. I'll have to hide my car when it is here, of course, but it would be yet another reason for them to not suspect this place, so long as they didn't come inside. After all, the range of suspicion will be so much wider with so many players.

Reaching inside the refrigerator, I grab a bottle of water. Thankfully, I brought some food to stock up this place yesterday, so I won't have to worry about that. I also used a different car then, so that should throw people off a bit if they were paying attention. I doubt anyone was though, besides the crows, and they don't tell tales. They never do. As I lean back against the counter to take a long sip of the water - it's colder than I expected from this pathetic refrigerator, so much so that I'm almost impressed - I reach into my pocket and fish out the portable speaker inside. It's one of my own inventions, hooked up to a special room in my house so that I can listen in at any time.

"Let's see if they're awake and yapping yet." I whisper with a chuckle, pushing the bright red button on top before taking another sip of water and letting it turn on and tune in.

"Where do you think we are?" Someone asks, and unless I'm mistaken they're doing their best to whisper. "We're going to die down here. We're going to be killed by some psycho!"

Another voice butts in, sounding hostile. "We are _not_ going to die. There is no way that I am letting some psychotic kidnapper kill me. Just let them try!"

"Shut up, what if they hear us!" Yet another voice whines, sounding frightened. I like to hear that; it's quite satisfying. It's one of my favorite parts of this game.

"They won't." A voice says firmly. "And no one is going to kill us. It's probably just some sort of elaborate prank, and if it's not, then someone will find us."

Another person joins the fray. "If my calculations are correct, the room looks like one that's been sound proofed. You can't judge that necessarily, but it would only make sense, since this person kidnapped us. I doubt they can hear us." If only that were the case for them. It would make their lives easier.

I will have to make sure that they don't find out about my sound system, at least not yet. It's best if they do not know that I am monitoring their conversations. It will make things much more interesting.

"Then let's stop worrying about what this might be and figure out how we're getting out of here!" Whoever speaks now speaks with a voice of authority. "Look, there's no point in considering what might happen. That's what will happen if we give up, but we don't have to give up!" Wow, someone is certainly certain that they won't die. We'll just have to see about that. After all, it won't be up to them. "We just need to figure out what's going on after we're all free. Doesn't one of you have any idea for what we can do?"

"We have to go about this carefully. So please, all of you, shut up and calm down." This new speaker sounds quite sure of themselves, and very serious and authoritative. I'm almost impressed. I wonder if he and the previous speaker will clash. "Hysterics will do nothing for us. We have to think about this with a clear head and logically." I suppose that would be fair advice, but it will not apply in this situation. I have them hidden away too well. My game is too well planned for them to ruin it by escaping now. They will only escape when I allow them to. "Dang it, my ring is gone. Has anyone seen it? Did it slip off?"

"He probably took it and hid it away with everything else he stole off of us. Stop worrying about your stupid ring and help us come up with an escape plan. It's just a ring after all." A voice snaps in response. "You can replace it once we're out."

The one whose lost a ring sounds outraged at the thought. "I can't just replace the ring!"

Setting my water bottle down, I decide that perhaps it's time for me to join them. It sounds like now would be appropriate, as they descend further and further into chaos. Smirking and chucking, I slowly turn the volume down on the speaker. I don't want my ear drums blown off if any of them scream for some reason, and I don't want them to find out about it as I approach.

So far, this has been child's play. That's a thought I enjoy entertaining as I make my way to my back hallway. I'm quite pleased with how good I've gotten at this game while cleaning it up. Carefully I tug the blue rug in the hallway off the ground, pulling the trapdoor attached to it up along with it. I carefully place one foot on the ladder down and then the other, and after I have climbed down enough I tug the door down after me.

That causes someone to scream in the speaker. "They're coming! They're going to kill us!" I'd been wondering why they were getting so quiet.

"Calm down and keep your head on!" Another voice snaps in response. "We'll be fine. Freaking out won't help us!"

"Both of you shut up and just wait! We might be overreacting. Let's just see." Oh, if only that was the case.

I have to resist the urge to snicker as I push the red button again to turn the speaker off. Once I hear the satisfying hum that tells me it's definitely off, I shove it into my pocket. I won't be needing it in there. I set my hand upon the door knob, put on an even wider smile, and throw the door open.

Nine pairs of eyes stare back at me in complete and utter silence. The fear that saturates the room is exhilarating, and I have to keep the laugh that is bubbling in my throat down. Instead, I shut the door behind me, taking a few steps forward before taking a position to look around the room and examine everyone seated within.

Closest to me and chained in the corner is the first one I took: Max Kanté. He was easy to catch, as all I had to do was go up to the house and ask if he could come look at my map and give me directions. Of course the genius child wanted to help, as from my studies, he's a geography buff along with everything else that he is. It was easy from there. I take a few steps towards him, causing him to shrink back and try to push himself even further into the corner than he already is. Seeing as he's rather short, so there's not much he can do to make himself much smaller. As he sinks down, he moves one hand to push his glasses up his nose.

Which reminds me. I loom over him as he tries to push himself downwards further, scrambling for some way to escape yet refusing to make any noise, before I snatch the glasses of his face and carefully retreat backwards again to my spot in the middle. He slides himself up a lit, feeling his face and then trying to make me out. Apparently he's incredibly blind without these.

"Don't worry, Max Kanté." I say with false sympathy, brandishing them at him and causing him to flinch. "You won't be needing these. And if for some reason you do, well, I'll give them back." To add insult to injury, I drop them to the ground and stomp a foot down on it, twisting it and listening to them shatter for good measure. Then I stretch down, picking them up and shaking them as if astonished by what occured. "Oh my. Oops." Chuckling and struggling to contain it to be quiet, I shove the broken glasses into my pocket. I'll store them where I put all the rest of their stuff.

"H-Hey, leave him alone!" I turn my head to the girl seated a few feet away from Max, placed strategically so that they cannot reach. Her hands are bound above her head unlike with some of the others, whose hands are bound to the ground or to a chain that is attached to the wall, but that's because she put up more of a fight than almost anyone else. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

I snicker at her attempts to disguise her fear, walking up to her and putting a hand under her chin as she tries to escape. "Someone like you, Alix Kubdel?" She snaps at me, but I just laugh, dropping her head. "Don't worry your little head, pink hair. I'm not the one who's going to decide your fates."

Even as I go to move on, someone else asks, "Then who is?"

I turn my gaze to the speaker, who looks like she really regrets speaking up. She visibly shakes, and I consider how different she looks without her pink headband. That was confiscated when I first got her down here, more because I had the capability to than for any legitimate reason. I highly doubt she could have actually done something with it to escape, especially since she barely even out up a fight when I caught her, but I'll be curious to see if having her hair down puts her out of her comfort zone at all or not.

"Mylène Haprèle." I say, annunciating each syllable of her name. With each syllable she looks closer and closer to tears. This just gets more and more amusing, but this time I manage to keep the laughter bubbling up again in my throat down. "I'm surprised you even spoke up."

"Please don't hurt me." She cries out softly, tears streaming from her cheeks as her breathes grow shakier and shakier.

I come closer as she tries to twist away, amused by all the eyes on me that refuse to even try and help. She tries to twist away, but she isn't in a corner that would allow her to try and get away, and even then that would not help for long. I get down on one knee in front of her, reaching towards her and using my thumb to brush one of her tears away.

She freezes, staring at me with wide, terrified eyes as I whisper with the sweetest smile I can muster, "Didn't you hear me? I won't be the one to decide that." I suppose I could just reveal how this game will be working to them now. After all, I will be soon enough. But what can I say? I have a flair for the dramatics, especially in these games.

I pull my hand away, chuckling once more as I move on to the next person: Juleka Couffaine. She does not speak, just staring at me from the corner with her one, visible, copper eye. Her pale lavender lipstick is smudged and her intricate nail polish is chipped, but the black-and-violet haired girl does not seem to mind. She just continues to stare at me, and it's rather disconcerting. It's not a frightened look, which I was expecting to receive. No, her staring is more confused and curious, with only the slightest bit of apprehension.

I don't like her lack of fear. We will have to fix that.

I bend down, getting as close to her face as I can, which just seems to make her uncomfortable, not afraid. "Are you ready to play a game, Juleka?" She simply shakes her head, but it still has no fear in it. I have to resist the urge the grab her throat and squeeze it as I bash her head against a wall. How is she not afraid of me? "You're not afraid of me?" I force myself to calm down. Her lack of anger is disturbing, yes, but it can be dealt with. Besides, it is almost curious. We will have to see what is making her so resilient as my little game continues. I stand up, taking her arm as I do - which is more like yanking it further than her short chain will allow, which seems to be somewhat painful for her while definitely giving me slight satisfaction - and tracing an X on the back of it with my thumb. "You should be afraid of me. I suggest that you change that and soon, or else we'll be having _quite_ a fun time later."

I drop her hand, which she pulls up against her chest as I once again move on to examine my next player. This one seems to have completely given up any attempt to put on a brave front for even a second, and instead looks like she's going to cry as I look her over. In fact, she's already covered her face in her hands, so that I can't see her sea green eyes at all to sense just how stressed she is. I have already stolen her white headband, so her orange hair isn't held back in any way.

"How about you, Sabrina Raincomprix?" I ask, squatting down in front of her and prodding her in the arm, which causes her to attempt to jerk away. "How do you feel about being a part of my game?"

I don't get any verbal response, but her whimper is almost as satisfying. Shaking my head and grinning, I carefully pry her hands off her face, causing her to cry out as she squeezes her eyes shut.

"Stop it! Why are you doing that to her? Can't you see that she's terrified?" This new voice that joins the fray catches me by surprise, although despite it's attempt to sound courageous and bold, I detect the fear laced just below the surface. I've grown quite good at doing that. "Leave her be!"

"What was that?" I ask, keeping my smile on my face as I snatch Sabrina's glasses off her face and then stand up once again.

"I said that you should leave her alone." The voice is shaky now, seeming much less confident as I turn to look at her in her corner.

It's amusing, watching her as she tries to keep herself from scrambling into her corner in fear. Of course, she's already pretty far back. Like Alix, I had to chain her hands above her head due to the fight she tried to put up. I suppose I should have expected nothing less from the legendary and persistent Ladyblogger, Alya Césaire.

"Alya," I comment as I smash Sabrina's glasses in my hand, causing the brunette's one hand to try and reach towards her glasses, almost as if to try and protec them, "I don't take kindly to being told what to do. You must be very brave to think that you would be any sort of exception, especially down here." My smile morphs into a sneer as I shove the glasses in my hands into my pocket alongside the first pair I took. "Or perhaps...foolish?" Her fear mingles with rage as she struggles against her bonds, probably wishing to inflict some pain upon me. I'd like to see her try. "I'd be more careful, or else my control might slip before it's time for it to do so. And trust me, no one wants to see that."

I leaver her glasses on, deciding that she will be more interesting without me stealing those away. As I move on to the next person, she tries to regain my attention. "What's the point of all of this?" She's practically screams the words, and I am sure if I turned I would see her lunging towards me.

My next player sits quietly, seeming quite composed for what he has gone through. Despite how he appears, he was relatively hard to catch, but that was because he was more resourceful than the others. More creative. I did not, however, chain his hands above his head. Instead, I chained him by his waist, limiting his room even more so than chaining his hands would have done. Like Juleka, his hair somewhat covers his eyes, but unlike with her, it's not enough for me to be unable to see either of them. His turquoise eyes look almost defeated, as if he has accepted what is to come and is just waiting for the inevitable. It's not a common response to these sort of things, and unlike with other uncommon responses, it actually intrigues me. I can feel my smile shift to a curious frown as I look him over again.

I hope that this Nathaniel Kurtzberg is one of the unlucky ones. I'd love to tear him apart and see what makes him tick so differently from the rest. Him and Juleka both.

I don't even bother to speak to him, deciding that this first reaction is good enough without speaking to him. I don't want to ruin his uniqueness, as I tried to do with Juleka. His is different. Less infuriating and more intriguing. I like that a lot, and so I will leave him be. His reactions will be very interesting to see. All of them will be. I can't wait to see them all fall apart, whether it be physically or mentally. This is why I love and treasure my game so much.

It's quite special. That's why no one can understand it.

I move on, quite pleased with that one. This next one, however, is completely different. She is the youngest out of all of them, this Manon Chamack. I have pulled her dark brown hair out of her signature ponytails, because she is old enough not to wear her hair like that anymore. Besides, if she wants them like that, then I don't purely on principle. I want to see her break, and that won't happen as quickly as I would like if she is in her comfort zone. She is quite short, and was quite easy to overpower, easier than every other person in here. This, of course, has to do with her age. She was weak and naive, and she still is. Still, she was ruthless as I tried to drag her inside, not that counted for much since she had no power to do anything with. Still, it amused me greatly. She is one of the youngest players I have had, if not the youngest. It will be very interesting to see how my young doll will change things. I might have chosen her even if I was not targeting people who knew each other. It is always interesting to have those younger and more vulnerable, because the others try so hard to protect that one little one, even if it costs them.

However, I always choose people who know each other now. I quickly learned that those who did not know each other did not make quite as good players. Their emotions were subdued. Their pain less raw. Their attempts less vivid. They were less careful, and it got boring far too quickly. I got impatient. I would lose control. It was less calculated, more risky, and more of a nuisance than a game.

However, I have learned and grown, and I am quite pleased with my developments. I have become an expert at this game.

"Manon," I croon, looking at the little girl before me, "are you-"

"Stop!" She screams before I can even finish, pushing against her binding in an attempt to cover her ears.

"Oh, little one," I say, kneeling down in front of her and snickering as her lip quivers, "would you please be a doll and not interrupt me. I get very testy when I'm not allowed to finish what I'm saying."

I'm not sure why that sets her off, but I'll take it. She throws her head back in a howl mixed with a sob as tears begin to run down her face. My smile grows, watching this distressed child writhe as if she is in physical pain. She cries out wordlessly, looking desperate for some sort of savior. Of course she will not be getting one, not yet at least. Even then, the chances are slim. The game is rigged so that it is hard to win. After all, where would the fun be if people were always winning? There would be practically nothing it for me. But with the way I play, there is almost never a victor, besides myself. I make sure of that.

I laugh again at the young girl's misery, resisting the urge to try to do anything to extreme to provoke anything more. I will save that for later. "Why, my dear, whatever is the matter?"

She nearly slams her head off of the wall as she waves about, trying to find some way to get away. "I want to go home!" Her cries are almost pitiful, probably arousing sympathy from those around her. I, however, view it as pathetic. Amusing, yes, but still pathetic none the less.

I open my mouth to continue, but before I can, my last player in this court decides to finally speak up. "Why are you doing this?"

I'm rather surprised that it took so long. If I expected to provoke someone sooner, I would have placed my bet on him, so I am curious to know what made this encounter any different than the others in his mind. Or maybe this was just the final straw in his mind. Either way, it is intriguing. I am quite proud to have gotten him. He was the one I had to plot the most to catch.

And then, of course, I found out his juicy little secret. That pleased me the most out of everything else. Playing a game with someone as powerful as him? Now that was something that would make it so interesting, especially when I found the match to his card. It was why I made sure to knock him out so quickly and get him last, so that I had had practice. Not to mention make sure his ring was confiscated so soon. I couldn't risk him trying anything funny before this encounter, and the knowledge that my game was not going to be ruined was more important than the satisfaction of his reaction as I ripped the ring off his finger. Some time I will bring it down and twirl it around between his fingers to see what he thinks, but now is not that time. For now, we will play the same way I have played with everyone else.

"Why, Adrien Agreste!" I declare as if I'm saying hello to an old chum of mine, spinning on my heels to look at the boy with the golden hair and personality. "Whatever brings you into the conversation? Trying to play hero?"

He doesn't seem amused by my puns. Funny, out of everyone here, I thought he would have appreciated them most. Oh well, I suppose he's just going to be quite the party pooper. "Why are you doing this to us? Stop dancing around the subject and tell us."

"You tell him, Adrien!" Alya shouts, sounding as if she's so proud of him. He's not doing much, so I don't see why. All he's really doing is risking getting his skull bashed in for a few snarky comments. Thankfully, I have control right now, so I will play fair. I have rules as well. I am not _completely_ ruthless _._

Not yet, anyways.

So, I decide to ignore the reporter - who is also begging to have her brains bashed on the floor for everyone to see - and instead let my lips quirk upwards as I look at the model boy before me, with his green eyes focused on me. He also does not seem at all interested in sparing Alya even a second to look at her and show that he appreciates her encouragement. I'm not sure if this is because he does not appreciate it, or if he does not feel safe doing so. Either way, he keeps his eyes locked on me.

Shaking my head, I declare, "I am not dancing around the subject in any way. Perhaps you are not asking correctly?" I quite an eyebrow with the question, leaning forward ever so slightly.

From his corner he glares, apparently still unamused. I can't imagine why that would be. I like to think of myself as quite funny, so he must have no sense of humor beyond his own puns. How rude of him to be so narcissistic! "Stop playing games and just tell us! You don't seem intent on getting along with the job, so what purpose are we serving? You've been cryptic enough, now give us something!"

He sounds quite impatient. I click my tongue condescendingly, shaking my head while wagging a finger at him. "Now now, Adrien, is that any way to ask for something you want? Tsk tsk. And here I was thinking Gabriel would have taught his son some manners in that big, expensive, lonely," I pause on that word, seeing Adrien tense up even more, if that's even possible, "mansion." I finish, looking at the frozen boy before me. Then I kneel down beside him, getting up close to his ear without any movement from him. After a moment, I whisper into his ear, "What, Chat got your tongue?"

That does it. I hear the chains clang as he tries to lunge at me, and pull back before he can smack his head against mine. I laugh, perhaps a bit harder, as I stand up to see him glaring at me once again.

"My my my, so the cat really does have claws to match its bite. What a pleasant surprise!" It really is. I can already tell that this game will be one of my favorites, yet we have barely even begun. "Now, if you would like me to answer your question, perhaps try to ask me again. _Nicely_." There's only a small hint of menace in my voice.

Now he looks worn out. Still angry, but too tired to continue to try and wear me down. "Psychopath." He mutters, before raising his voice and asking in a very unamused voice, "Will you _please_ be ever so kind and explain to us what exactly is going on?"

I grin, counting this as a personal victory against the hero. Who knew he could break - even if it is merely a crack that he could probably quickly mend, if I give him enough time to recover - so quickly? My game must be very successful, or he must be very weak. Perhaps both? "Why of course, my little Agreste! Why didn't you ask sooner?" He growls, but I ignore it, making my way back to the center of the room to make sure I have their full attention. "You are probably wondering why I have brought you all here."

"Cut the crap and get on with it." This time the comment comes from Alix. I snicker and give her a wink, which causes her to mime committing. She is lucky that this is the first day. I lose more and more control as the game continues. If she were to do something like that later? Well, there would be consequences. She would not die yet, of course. That would be breaking my rules.

But that does not mean that she can't suffer a bit in the process.

"My, what a tough crowd. But fine, I will try and tone down the dramatics." I pronounce, acting as if I have been wounded. In truth, that is a reaction I normally receive. I _can't_ imagine why. "You have been lucky enough to be chosen as the next players in my lovely little game." I pause for dramatic effect, despite my comment, and catch the fact that Max is muttering the statistics of being chosen under his breath. It's annoying, but I make no comment on it as I move on. "Each of you has been paired with a player in my other set of nine. You will have little control in what happens in our game. That could prove to be advantageous or disastrous. It really depends on your luck." I chuckle, glancing at Adrien, who still seems unamused. Hm, perhaps a joke about being lucky is not amusing to a black cat? Again, I can't seem to think of a reason for why that could be. "Either way, each of those nine people will be given a challenge from yours truly. I have made each in hopes that they will challenge each of your friends personally. Their success is vital for you, if you would like to continue onwards. For you see, each time one of them fails to do as I instruct, whichever one of you I have assigned them will die."

That has the attended affect. There is screaming, sobbing, shouting, yelling, howling, and the rattling of chains. I can feel the despair, misery, rage, pain, fear, and confusion whirl around me. It's truly exhilarating. Just that one sentence was enough to whip them all up into an emotional frenzy as they all try to free themselves, as if this will do them any good. It amuses me to no end, and I begin to laugh, clutching my stomach as I hunch over. This shuts them all up. The room goes silent as I continue to laugh for a good minute more, maybe two. Finally I lift myself back up to my full height, still laughing. This group has been incredibly satisfying for a first day. We haven't even begun the challenges yet! Will the other group be this fun? I will not know them as personally, but I will still be able to play with them. Theirs is the far more direct game, after all. Their damage is much different, perhaps even more permanent. They will be scarred much more permanently, perhaps because they cannot die but also must not be allowed to live unscathed.

"Does the thought of us dying because of you amuse you?" Alya demands, but she jerks back in fear at how fast I turn my attention to her.

I wipe a tear from my eye, still not fully recovered from my bout of laughter. "Why yes, Alya, it does. Why else would I be so eager to play this game once more? You are not my first group to play this game. You will certainly not be the last. But for now, we will enjoy our time together." I take another shaky breathe, almost laughing again when I remember their reaction. "Yes, the idea of killing you amuses me greatly. But the thought of the deaths your friends will experience, deaths that will be far less physical, amuses me even more so. I am quite pleased that I chose your group." I turn away from them all, heading for the door. "And on that note, I will take my leave."

As I step outside and go to shut the door, the room whips up into a frenzy again, causing me to chuckle as I finish shutting the door. Then I lock it up tight, before making my way back to the ladder. Yes, that experience was quite satisfactory. It went even better than I could have hoped for. How was that even possible? These games seemed to get better and better as they went. I'm quite sure that this will be my best one yet. Sure, I had the odd one here or there that was a flunk, but those were far and few between. I was quite sure that this one would be a success, based on those reactions alone. Perhaps the other group would prove me otherwise, but based on my studying, I highly doubted it.

Now to get upstairs and turn on my speaker. After all, listening to terrified people always helps me write important letters to important players.

* * *

 **Oh my gosh, this chapter has been a rollercoaster to write. I've been working on it for at least a week since I got the idea, and I have to admit I'm not sure how this idea will go. I have mapped out the whole story, and it is not pleasant at all, but I am excited none the less. I hate the Gamemaker immensely as a person, but while I won't say writing him is fun, I will say that it is very interesting. I don't think I have ever written a character who is quite as twisted, so it is interesting to experiment with this and such a twisted and dark concept. I'm not sure if this will scare people away, but I hope that even if a few of you read this, you will be interested and keep coming back.**

 **Anyways, what did you guys think of it as an introduction chapter? Was it good? Bad? It was long, far longer than I intended for it to be, but I hope that is a good thing, as I would like to work to make my updates longer anyways. Hopefully this will set a good bar for me to aim for with the following chapters. What are your thoughts on the Gamemaker? Did I do a good job with them? What do you think of the characters selected for this half of the game? Who do you think will be the other nine characters that will be determining their fates? Any guesses on who might be paired with who?**

 **I'm very excited to experiment with this plot, even if it's going to be a bit more messed up than what I usually try to write. Hopefully you guys are too! While not necessary, if you guys did enjoy this, please favorite, review, and/or follow this story! Your support means a lot to me, and it's always nice to see something that lets me know I am actually writing this for someone, and not just to let it collect dust on here.**

 **Now, I'll move on. I have several one-shot ideas bouncing around in my mind, as well as one other new story I would like to add on here (I am restricting myself to only three unfinished stories at a time in this fandom) and an update for Strings, Knots, and Laces. But summer is coming, which means way more updates with less time in between! Hurray! :D**

 **Stay tuned until next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Other Pawns

**Chapter Two - The Other Pawns  
**

 **Hey guys! It's summer break for me now, and that means that I can start updating more often. So yay! I was actually going to update Balancing Act, but those updates are long and hard to do in one sitting. So, I decided I'd take a mental break and update this while my mind has time to get excited over that plot again.  
**

 **After last chapter, this chapter will be somewhat boring for me to write. However, I suppose it is necessary in order to get to the dramatic and darker stuff. I'm super excited to delve into the really creepy parts of this story, just because this is the darkest story I have ever written, at least on here. However, enough of my rambling. Let's move on with the actual story!**

* * *

 _"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late."_

\- Shakespeare

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

I let out a load groan, snatching my sketchbook off the desk just in time as the coffee begins to spill over it. Once I've set it on the bookshelf beside my desk - a spot that I deem safe from being ruined - I rush to grab paper towels and mop up the mess. Of course my good luck couldn't keep me from spilling. Shaking my head, I focus on mopping up the rest of the mess, smiling when I see Tikki grabbing a few of the soaked paper towels and flying them to the garbage. Once that's handled, I flop back down into the chair, only to leap up with a screech. One look at the seat of the chair tells me all I need to know: my pants must now have a wet splotch of coffee on the back. To make matters worse, I can feel it.

Groaning again, I glance at Tikki, who giggles. "You go change your pants, Marinette. I'll wipe up the coffee on the chair."

I nod gratefully to her before scurrying off to my room. Changing only takes a few moments, and once I've successfully dumped the coffee-stained pants in my laundry, I make my way back out to see Tikki finishing up. I love that kwami.

"You're the best." I comment, as I walk over to the kitchen counter and grab two cookies. "Do you know that?"

She takes the one that I offer her, biting a bit off and giving me a satisfied smile. "Thanks, Marinette!" Whether it's for the compliment or cookie, I'm not sure, but it works for both.

I open my mouth to respond, shaking my cookie in my hand, only to be stopped by a knock on the door. "Tikki, hide." I whisper as I make my way over.

I take a deep breath, not sure who would be knocking, but ready to find out either way. However, as I twist the knob and open it, I find that I'm not going to find out. There's no one there. Was it a prank? I glance in both directions, but there's no one in sight. Huffing in exasperation, I move to shut the door, but then something catches my eye.

"A package?" I ask, picking it up to examine it. It has nothing on it besides a label that says 'To Marinette.' There isn't even a return address. Glancing behind me as I shut the door in case the sender somehow appears as it closes, I say in a more confused tone than I intend, "Hey Tikki, you can come out now."

My tiny kwami comes soaring out from the kitchen faster than I expected, landing on my shoulder and carefully staring down at the box with me. "Who sent it?"

I shrug, careful not to knock her off as I do. "I have no idea. There was no one there, and as you can se," I pause to turn the box around in all directions for her sake, "there isn't any return address, or real anything that would identify a sender."

"Freaky." She says as I make my way over to the counter and set it down. "Are you going to open it?"

"I don't see why not. It could be important." I hesitate as I look at it. It looks harmless enough, but a part of me can't help but think that there is quite a sinister vibe coming off of it. "Maybe it's some fabric that I ordered. Or a care package." They almost sound plausible, but that wouldn't explain why there's no address. "Or perhaps a secret admirer?" I offer the last one right as I think of it, deciding that it sounds the most plausible and praying that it or something else equally as harmless is the case.

"Just open it, silly. We won't know till you do." Despite the joking tone, I get the sense that Tikki is also slightly apprehensive or at least unnerved by the box. What could be so weird about it to make my kwami so uncomfortable?

Listening to my red bug, I grab the scissors laying on the counter and cut the tape holding the flaps down. Then I dump them back on the counter, not even bothering to put them away properly as I grab the cardboard box flaps and pull them apart. I stare down in confusion, looking at the contents of the box as I try to figure out what the heck they are and completely forget to pick them up to examine them. On the left side, there is a cassette player that seems like it was just bought. On the right side, there is a folded up piece of paper.

Tikki hovers beside me, also staring down in concern. "Well?" She says, breaking us both out of our stunned silence. "Are you going to look at it?"

I blink, nodding my head. "Right, right."

I reach in, and scoop the paper up. With cautious hands I unfold it, and gesture with my head for Tikki to check it out as I begin to read it.

* * *

 _Marinette Dupain-Cheng,_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good health. Actually, I know it does. However, that is besides the point. This letter is a formal invitation for you to join a few of your friends in a high stakes game. Should you choose to go into the game willingly, you should meet with the other willing players in the park across the street from your home at 4:00 pm. If you do not choose to participate, you will still be included in the game, and if you ignore the challenge issued to you, a friend of yours will die. If you tell anyone about this situation, everyone will die, whether or not their lives have been saved. There is more information about this particular predicament of yours in the cassette recorder also included in this box. You are not to play the cassette until 4:05 pm, as everyone should have gathered who will play by choice by then. If you play the cassette before its intended time, one of your friends will be punished._

 _Don't be idiotic. Do you want the blood of a friend on your hands?_

 _The Gamemaker_

* * *

I stare down at the letter in shocked silence, not even realizing that my hand is shaking as I try to comprehend what I have just read. Fear pulses through me, and even though I try to tell myself that it must be a joke, I can't the feeling of paranoia as I think about what this means if it's not.

"Marinette?" Tikki's voice finally breaks me out of my terrified state, and I look at her to see a concerned look returning mine. While I was hoping for reassurance, I also see worry creasing her face. That does not give me a good feeling about any of this. If Tikki is worried and thinks this might even have a chance at being believable, then we're doomed. "I-It can't hurt to go to the park and check it out..."

"Just in case, right?" I ask, hoping for some sort of reassurance that this is all an elaborate trick meant to get a laugh.

"Right." Yet Tikki still sounds unsure, and I'm starting to get the sinking feeling that this could all end horribly.

Which begs one question. If this really _is_ real, what the heck am I going to do? The thought almost makes me want to cry, but I force myself to calm down. Nothing is for sure yet. I have nothing to worry about currently. Right now I just need to hope and pray that this is all fake. We can probably laugh it off - once I know who it is - and joke about it later. It'll quickly be forgotten, right? It will be fine.

"Well, I guess we should be going? We don't have much longer, and besides, it's right across the street..." I try to sound more confident than I am, but it fails miserably, so I just let Tikki silently climb into my purse before grabbing the cassette player and heading out.

As predicted, it doesn't take long for me to reach the park. I walk in, nervously tugging on a loose strand of hair that managed to avoid my pigtails. I've honestly been meaning to change my style, but I'm too concerned for what would happen if I changed mine right when Ladybug did. It stinks, but I deal with it. After all, my job as a savoir of Paris is more important than my looks, and I don't care about my hair that much.

I don't see anyone specific, and so I decide to sit down at a picnic table and wait. If it gets to 4:05, I'll play this cassette and then be done with this. Hopefully the thing will just be revealed to be a silly joke and I can go home. Yet I'm still getting that scary feeling that it won't.

"Mari?" I look up and away from the cassette player at the sound of the name, and turn to see none other than Nino walking towards me. He's certainly gotten taller, and even if I hadn't seen him recently while third-wheeling on a date between him and Alya, I would be able to identify him by his orange baseball cap, glasses, and headphones around his neck. Some things never change, no matter how much Alya might say they need to. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for some people. You?" I say, unsure of whether to be blunt with him or stay cryptic when trying to find out if he's here for the same reason as me.

"Same here." He says with a frown, and then he hesitates before asking, "D-did you happen to get a weird letter along with that, uh, that casette pl-player?"

If the circumstances were different, I would find this conversation amusing. Oh how the tables have turned. Now Nino is stuttering and I am the confident one. "Yes, I did...Did you?"

He scratches the back of his head nervously as he nods. "I was kind of hoping it was all a dumb joke. I mean, it was awfully cryptic. All it really told me was to come here at 4:00 and that you would have a cassette player with important information." He hesitates once again before adding, "And that if I don't play along, someone could die."

"Hey, well, maybe it will end up being a joke?" I suggest, but I don't sound confident enough to actually do any good in quelling his nerves.

He nods, obviously not buying it. "Well, should we play it?"

I shake my head violently. "No!" He looks taken aback, so I swiftly apologize. "I'm sorry. It's just that I was told that if I played it before 4:05, someone would get hurt. Maybe we can just wait to see if anyone else shows up?"

Almost as if on cue, another person walks up to us, eyes on the cassette player. He's got reddish brown hair, and his blue eyes are surrounded by glasses. He stops a little bit in front of us, and awkwardly tugs on his orange scarf.

"Are you Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" He asks, realizing how he is fidgeting with his scarf and proceeding to drop it.

"Yes," I say with a bob of my head. "This guy right beside me is Nino Lahiffe." I'm assuming this guy was so focused on the cassette player because he's here for the same reason as us, so I might as well introduce my buddy now. "You are...?"

"Jalil!" He says quickly, adjusting his glasses. Taking a deep breath, he drops his hands again and says, "Jalil Kubdel."

That last name rings a bell. "Kubdel? As in Alix Kubdel?"

He nods, offering a small smile. "Yes, that's my younger sister." He frowns. "She hasn't been returning any of my calls though, so she must be really busy."

His voice sounds super familiar in my head, but I can't think of where I would know him from? I try to rack my brain, but I don't think I know him as Marinette except for being Alix's older brother. But the real question is whether or not I know him as Ladybug. I try to run through different akumas in my head, and then it hits me: the Pharaoh. One of the earlier akumas that I fought, so it makes sense that he'd be harder to recognize. However, the voices totally match up.

"Are you here because of a letter?" Nino asks casually, obviously tired of not just flat out asking. When Jalil nods, he says, "Cool, cause we are too, and we're just hoping that it's all a joke."

Jalil opens his mouth to answer, but doesn't get the chance as a very disgruntled blackette comes rushing towards us, glasses halfway off her nose. I recognize her right off the bat. Nathalie Sancoeur, assistant to Gabriel Agreste and practically the single parent of Adrien. I got to see more of her once I started to be able to make coherent sentences with Adrien, and she always came across as nice. However, she always looked a little guilty around me. Not only that, but I'm pretty she saw straight through me and realized my giant crush on Adrien.

She comes to a halt, taking deep breathes as she stares at us. "The cassette player. You're here and you actually have one."

And so the pattern continues as person after person arrives. Le Chien Kim makes his arrival next, decked out in merchandise for the sports team he plays for and looking as buff as ever. I barely even recognized him, because we haven't seen each other in years, but he looks pretty similar. Then arrived a girl that, surprisingly, I've seen quite a few times. Lila Rossi, who I actually grew quite close and fond of during school, despite her intense hatred that has failed to dwindle for my alter ego. She still looks the same, having barely changed at all, but after befriending hr when she was an outcast, we've stayed in touch. Finally, Ivan Bruel and Rose Lavillant walk in together, both looking slightly distraught as they talk. Ivan, if it's even possible, seems to have grown, while Rose almost appears to have shrunk. She probably has grown a little bit, but she is still tiny and decked in pink. Her blonde hair seems to be grown out a bit longer though.

Everyone talks awkwardly with someone they know around them, nobody seeming really sure how to socialize or what to do. After all, some of these people barely know each other, if they know anyone at all. I check my phone, and see that it's 4:06. Hopefully I didn't miss anything on the letter saying something bad would happen if we play it _later_ than 4:05.

"Everyone! Please, settle down." I say loudly, making sure I have everyone's attention. "I think everyone is here now. So, if you all would be quiet and give me your attention, we can play this cassette player and find out that this is a joke, and that we have nothing to fear...I hope."

"And what do we do if it's not a joke?" Kim asks, folding his arms and staring back at me with an expression that almost suggests that he's trying to challenge me.

"Then we play whatever sick game this is, and we play it right." I response firmly. "Nobody wants someone else to die because of them. However, I doubt we have _anything_ to be concerned about. So don't worry."

Now positive that everyone is ready, I push play as we all begin to listen to the voice that comes out. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the game of a lifetime, where _you all_ get to play." Okay, so maybe this _doesn't_ bode well for this being a prank. But it could still be a prank, right? "As your letters told you, refusal to play the game or failure to accomplish your task correctly results in the death of someone. Before we delve any deeper, let's make sure everyone is here, shall we? Wave your hand around so in case anyone isn't acquainted with you can see who you are." He pauses, as if taking time to make sure the instructions sunk in. "Nino." Nino waves his hand in the air upon hearing his name, setting the precedent that we are going to listen, at least right now. "Jalil. Rose. Kim. Marinette. Ivan. Lila. Nathalie. Chloe." We all freeze at the last one, and since there is a pause, I slam down on the pause button.

"Has anyone seen Chloe?" Nathalie asks, and I realize that of course she knows the mayor's daughter, probably more so that anyone else here, except for maybe Kim. Although anyone from our class could technically compete with that.

"What do we do if she's not here?" Rose cries out, looking panicked.

"We don't need her to save people." Jalil says, adjusting his scarf again. "Everyone gets their own challenge, so she isn't necessary to everyone else. Just for whatever her challenge is. And she won't ignore her own challenge if someone else's life is at stake...Right?"

Lila shrugs, looking annoyed. "Who knows with that girl?"

I just sigh. "Lila has a point. But if anything, we'll go to her and convince her. For now, let's just continue with this tape."

I get a few verbal affirmations to do so, and then push play. "Good. Now that you all know each other, I suppose I should explain more. Here is how this game will work. My apologies for anything that you feel is repetition, but please, bare with me." He chuckles, and then continues. "At some point or another, each of you will receive a package or letter giving you instructions to a task you must complete. If you complete the task correctly, then whoever I have chosen to link you with will survive. If, however, you fail...Well, then I will murder them." He laughs again, and I start to formulate ways to get this guy caught. There has to be something, right? "Now, before you guys get any ideas, there are a few other rules. For one thing, no one else is allowed to know about our little game. I have set careful things in place for anyone not within this group who could be concerned for any of the people I am holding captive. If I find that any of my captives have been reported as missing, I will murder everyone I am holding prisoner, whether they have been saved or not. And just in case you think you can use this to have anyone track me," His voice suddenly shifts to a very feminine one, but it does not sound faked, "think again. Who knows if you are hearing my real voice?" His voice shifts back to the one he was originally using, although I wonder now if this guy is actually a guy or not. "As a second rule, you are not allowed to have any help with your challenge. You must accomplish it on your own. Someone may stand by to help you in case you are somehow... _Harmed_ , but the actual tasks must be accomplished yourself. Finally, Ladybug must not make an appearance during this time." I tense up at the words. _What?_ "If I see so much as a hint of the spotted heroine while this game is occurring, especially near me, I will kill everyone as well."

So there goes that idea. I push pause as everyone begins to freak out in concern of how we will get Ladybug not to show herself while this is happening without telling her what is going on, and I realize that I cannot say anything. They can't know that I am Ladybug. I will just have to pretend to be worried and hoping that Ladybug will just not be needed. Although the second part won't be acting. I really do need to hope that Ladybug won't be needed. What will I do if she is?

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Besides, for some odd reason, he doesn't care if Chat Noir makes an appearance. Chat can hold his own I hope. If worst comes to worst, we'll just have to hope he can handle it. I trust him to do a good job.

Waving my arm to get everyone's attention back, I then push play to let this freak continue. "Now that we have that simple groundwork laid, let me tell you who I have captured here with me. I'd let them introduce themselves, but I doubt they'd comply, nor do I think that you would believe it was actually them. So, I suppose you will have to trust me. You can always subtly check if they are around too, but if they get reported as missing, well...It will be pretty nasty." The mere thought sends chills up my spine, and I don't even know who is on the other side of this. "Most of you should know everyone I'm about to list, so I won't bother to give last names. Besides, if you don't, you can always ask Marinette Dupain-Cheng...She knows _all_ of them, or at least knows _of_ them." I feel everyone's gaze boring into mine as I duck down, not sure how to react to that information. Is that good? Probably not. They're all in danger, after all. What if one of them dies. "Max. Alix. Adrien." My heart shudders violently in my chest. He has Adrien Agreste? The love of my life, despite the fact that we're adults because I for some reason can't get myself to move on? "Sabrine. Juleka. Nathaniel. Mylene. Manon." Sweet Manon, who I babysit? Why would he pick her, out of everyone? She's just a kid! "Alya." And my best friend?

There is a large pause, so long that we wonder if it might be over, before the person announces, "You can simply call me the Gamemaker as you talk in hushed voices and speculate about when your challenges will arrive at your houses, because they will not arrive all at once." He laughs one more time before saying loudly, "Let the games begin!"

Then it's over and the clamor and uproar begins. Rose starts it, practically crying to I think Jalil as she says, "What will we do?"

"Will he actually kill them?" Kim asks Ivan, seeming skeptical.

"I'm going to kill this man!" Lila snarps to no one in particular.

"What do you think he'll even want us to do?" Nino directs the question at me, but I don't bother to try and answer.

Before I can try to call everyone to attention, Nathalie does for me. "Everyone, please!" Everyone trains their eyes on the assistant, including myself. She takes a deep breath, not seeming the least bit bothered. "Before we descend into chaos, let's be a bit orderly. I think it would be valuable if we tried to figure out who might be paired with each person. Everyone has to have some sort of connection to someone, right? I think we should put those pieces together first."

Jalil throws his out first. "Well, mine is obvious. Alix is my sister."

Nathalie nods. "And I have had to look after Adrien for a long time, so it makes sense if he would be assigned to me."

"I bet Sabrina was assigned to Chloe, since they were best friends in high school and probably still are." Nino offers. "And since Alya is my girlfriend, it makes sense that she would be assigned to me."

"Speaking of dating relationships, that would mean Nathaniel is totally assigned to me, since he's my boyfriend." Lila says it so nonchalantly, but I have no idea that that was a thing.

To demonstrate my approval, I offer her a thumbs up despite the fact that now might not be the appropriate time while Kim says, "I bet Max was assigned to me, since he's my best friend."

"And I probably have Juleka, since she's _my_ best friend." Rose says, attempting to dab the tears from her eyes. "She's the best best friend I could ever ask for."

"Mylene is my fiancee," Ivan says quietly, "So she should be assigned to me."

"You guys are engaged and didn't tell anyone?" Rose gasps as we all focus in on him, shocked.

He just gives a shrug. "It was a recent thing. We never saw an appropriate time for a big announcement, and we weren't sure if it'd be met with disapproval since we're still in college. Now I'm worried that we'll never get that right time."

I say confidently. "You will, Ivan. I'll make sure of it." Realizing I'm the only one not to have claimed anyone, I say, "And Manon has to have been assigned to me. I've been her babysitter for a long time, and besides, she's the only one not assigned to anyone else."

Now to make sure that darling girl with her baby doll eyes stays alive.

* * *

 **Sorry that that chapter was a little bit shorter! The lengths will probably vary depending on the challenge, but I will do my best to make them detailed and well-done as well as aim to have over 3,000 words at least. I didn't want to drag this one on for too long though, since I at least did not find it super interesting. Hopefully you guys still liked it though! Was it good? Bad? What are your thoughts on the pairings the kiddos are speculating that they have? Were you expecting these people to be the ones in the other "group?" Any thoughts on whether or not anyone will fail? Are there any people in particular you want to see die/fail/live/succeed? Let me know in your reviews!  
**

 **Speaking of my reviews, let me respond to yours as a thank you now!**

 **gleamqueen : As awesome of a twist as that would be, no, Marinette is not the Gamemaker, as this chapter showed. However, I'd love to do something with that sort of twist in the future! It would all depend on the reception this story gets and how I feel about writing it though, since that story would also probably be dark.**

 **Marichat77 : Thank you! Sorry this update took so long to get out to you guys. Hopefully it was okay! We'll get into the more scary stuff next chapter, something that I am super hyped to delve into.**

 **pinksakura271 : I'm glad that it's so good! :D I'm also glad the concept is interesting, and that the Gamemaker has come across like that. I honestly loved writing from their perspective, so I will have to do so again within the story. And ah yes, we will definitely be exploring whether or not characters (Adrien included) will break - and if so, how easily - for our lovely villain. I'm super glad the characters' portrayals are going well! And as for Plagg, that will get addressed in the story, although probably not until closer to the end. We will have to see. c: And sorry, I am not accepting OCs! As interesting as that would be to throw some in to do the challenges, I would be too concerned with portraying them wrong and accidentally offending their owner. Also, I have the entire story planned out already, so it would be hard to fit one in. However, I may considering doing a story that could have OCs submitted in the future. We'll see. c;**

 **Thanks so much for the support! I will see you next time, when we get to see some of the real fun begin.**

 **~ Dagger**


	3. Chapter 3 - Pants on Fire

**Chapter Three - Pants on Fire**

 **Hey guys! I'm back with another update for you guys, and this time all of the preliminary matters are handled. No more introductions, huzzah! That means we can dive right into our wonderful first challenge. Let's see who the Gamemaker decides to target first.**

 **Also, we are not going to be seeing anything from the Gamemaker's basement till all of the challenges are ended and the captured are returned (or their bodies if they aren't still alive). That means that while our characters have guessed who they are connected to, we won't know for sure till the end. I decided this would be more intense than switching back and forth between chapters to explain who died and who didn't.**

 **This chapter could potentially be a trigger for self-harm? I'm not sure what people need to trigger that, as everyone is different, but I felt I had to say it just in case.**

* * *

 _"You may tell the greatest lies and wear a brilliant disguise, but you can't escape the eyes of the one who sees right through you."_

 _~ Tom Robbins_

* * *

 _Lila's Point of View_

* * *

It's been a day since we all met up in the park. We all exchanged phone numbers, setting up a group chat to talk in if necessary, not that we can give away too much there in case someone else sees it. However, we can contact people to meet up if we need to, and Marinette suggested that we meet up again in a week to have a sort of recap session on what all has gone on and to check in on everyone. There's still no word or sign of Chloe, and in any other circumstance, we'd just let that go. But now there's a life on the line, and so Marinette has volunteered to try and talk to her with Kim. I don't know if they've made any progress, but we can hope.

I always hated Chloe. She could go burn for all I care. But unless I've forgotten someone, there's not a single person that the Gamemaker has that I would want to see _dead_. I don't like all of them - heck, the only one I really even care about in the slightest is Nathaniel - but I certainly don't want anyone there to die because Chloe was being a stuck-up, stupid brat.

Sighing, I reach my door after coming home from work, only to pause at the sight of a package sitting in front of it. I could hope that it's a fluke and that the package is actually something I ordered finally getting delivered. That, however, would be idiotic. It doesn't take a genius to know what the package means. It means that, unless someone else has already been contacted, I am the first person to have to face off against the Gamemaker. I don't know why I'm first. I suppose it doesn't really matter. What matters is doing whatever task he has left for me. No one is going to die because of me.

Taking a deep breath, I bend down and pick up the box before shoving the key into the door and getting inside. It's probably best not to linger outside for too long if I want to open this box, and I certainly can't open it outside. I have no idea what will be inside, but I certainly don't want anyone asking me about it. The neighbors in this embarrassing apartment complex can be more than a bit nosy.

Shutting the door behind me and locking it with a satisfying click, I glance around my tiny, shabby apartment. I suppose there's a reason I make sure no one comes over. Why would I want them to see a place that I can barely pay the bills for? I don't want them to see how pathetic my life really is, and I certainly don't want to invoke anyone's pity upon me. It's better that they all think my life is perfect, that I'm living the dream. That's what I always tell them, anyways. So far, they've all believed it, and it's pretty second nature to have my cover stories.

The package isn't super heavy, but I set it down on my slightly unbalanced 'dining table,' if you can even call the circular, one-chaired table a dining table, quickly nonetheless. It's best to stop prolonging this and just get straight to it. With a deep breath, I force the box's lid open and see that it has two things inside. The first one to catch my eye is the tape recorder, which looks practically identical to the one Marinette had previously. I have no doubts in my mind that this must be my instructor, to give me the news of what I am to do. The other object is a knife, glinting almost tauntingly at me from within. Whatever this challenge is will not be pretty.

Taking a deep breath, I pull the tape recorder out and set it on my kitchen counter before pressing play. There's a crackle for a minute before it kicks to life, and the voice that plays this time is much different compared to the one we heard previously. It sounds like a teenage girl - my head throbs when something inside me suggests that it sounds like I did in high school - but is definitely the man from before. I suppose he told us he could do this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean it messes with my mind any less. It's disturbing as heck to hear the voice of a young girl chuckle at the suggestion of me causing someone's demise.

"Hello, Lila. Congratulations on being the first challenger up to base. Are you ready to play the game?" The voice pauses to giggle, and it takes all of my self-control not to smash the player.

I know that smashing it won't do anything. It won't actually hurt this sick, twisted person; I know that it won't. That it can't. That no matter how hard I try, I can never touch this man who has taken these people important to us to dangle them over our heads as blackmail. I don't know why he does it, but I do know that right now, I wish I could do something to get back at him for all he's going to put us through. Something that would actually accomplish it, beyond smashing a cassette player that I need to keep Nathaniel alive. The one he assigned me to has to be Nathaniel. He must know that I don't care about anyone else he has taken as much as that silly redhead who can't seem to get out of my head.

"You're lucky to be going first, Lila." He speaks again, voice unchanging from the girly one he has picked. "That means you get one of the simpler ones. You don't have to go anywhere. You don't even have to do anything hard. But before I tell you what your game rules are, why don't we take trip down memory lane? Far back to your high school years. Pleasant times, right? You were a new student coming from Italy and quite the liar, right? You lied about knowing famous people, even lied about knowing Ladybug and gave a review about it to the Ladyblog. You were quite popular, till you were exposed. And being exposed as a liar made you so upset that you got akumatized, right? Not that you can really correct me if I'm wrong, but I know I'm not."

My face burns at having the lies of my childhood get thrown back into my face. I was a new student. I wanted to be popular and liked, and I didn't think that would happen if I was just plain old Lila. I had to come in with a bang, and no one was supposed to be able to call me on my lies. Then I met Adrien Agreste, and suddenly I didn't just want to be liked by everyone as a group. I wanted him specifically to like me. But he had a crush on stupid Ladybug, and I had to come up with a way to win him over from her. It was a harmless lie. I wasn't hurting anyone by convincing him that I was Volpina, but stupid Ladybug had to come in and ruin it by calling me out in my lie. It was her fault I was akumatized, and even then she continued to call me out in my lies. The whole thing ruined my life that year in school. I went from the top of the food chain to the bottom. It was thanks to Marinette that I had any friends at all, and even then everyone besides her was suspicious of me. Adrien kept me at arms length and Alya always seemed harshly skeptical of everything I said. Only Marinette and Nino gave me a true chance, and even then Nino could still be hesitant, especially when his crush on Alya grew more and more apparent as he sought her approval.

Thankfully things improved. I managed to somewhat tame my habit of telling lies. I made some new friends, like Nathaniel. Nino grew more open with me, and when Alya wound up with a major crush on a new boy in the class, we even dated for a bit. We told everyone it was a mutual breakup, that things just weren't working. It was our secret that he dumped me to go back to Alya when she finally got her head out of the clouds to realize the boy was a jerk and that she really liked Nino still. She was jealous as heck during Nino's period of dating me, even if she never admitted it. Marinette was always there to support me, gushing to me all the time about her different situations. I think Alya disliked me even more for that, especially when it was added onto me dating Nino. Whenever she planned things for our friends to do, I somehow 'accidentally' didn't get invited. That was okay. I did the same right back at her, and poor, oblivious Marinette was kept in the dark about the whole thing. Neither of us wanted to bother her with our squabble. But issues with Alya were really the only problem I faced, not counting Chloe just being a generally bully, but that was just to be expected. Even Adrien opened up a bit with me, seeming willing to give me a second chance. Why can't this man be bringing up all of that good stuff, instead of my habitual lying from then?

My taunter continues. "But you've grown out of that phase, I'm sure. You're always honest with your friends now, at least the few you have. You would never lie to them, right?" The voice turns smug. "At least, that's what you'd like to have them believe. Where to even begin with the intricate web you've tried to weave? I bet it's become almost second nature to give them a false perception of your life. Do you coach yourself through what your lie is every morning to make sure you don't contradict yourself that day, or do you remember it all? Perhaps a part of you even believes it's true?" My face burns again as he begins to pull the blanket off to reveal all of the things I have worked so hard to hide from everyone else. "Let's start with your job. Unless I'm mistaken you told everyone that you were working as an 'idea manager' at the magazine _Precision_ , getting paid to help make design choices and spring other new ideas on them to help the magazine soar. You did call it an 'idea manager,' right? Yet when I checked out their employee records, it appears there's no reference for you anywhere. There's not even a reference to your so-called new position, which you had said was 'important, but not important enough to get called out anywhere' to anyone suspicious."

Yet apparently he's not ready to be done tearing me to pieces. "The fact is, you actually work at a small fast food place that you have to bus out to for at least an hour and a half to get to, and it was the only place that you could find to hire you. Apparently your original intent to go into acting just didn't hit off, did it?" Now there's the mocking. What is his point in all this? What does it have to do with his sick game? "And this workplace you have barely pays the rent for your apartment you live in, which is practically in shambles. However, it appears your friends don't know about this either. You claim to live in a fairly nice house, and you even had the guts to claim that you had a car! A car that you then claim you don't use because you prefer to walk or bus. I don't know who's life you're claiming to have, Lila, because it certainly isn't yours." The voice lowers a notch, sounding even more pleased with itself. "And Nathaniel, your apparent boyfriend? Apparently you guys have kept in contact since school, but not much. I don't think he even realizes that you live in an apartment a few doors down, and he certainly isn't aware that he's in a relationship with you. Is that how dating works nowadays?"

At this point my eyes water a bit from having all of my lies thrown back in my face. How did he find all of this out, when no one else even questions me on it? Some of those things shouldn't even be possible. I work at that fast food place under a fake name to hide my shame, the same name that I took this apartment under. I suppose I should have known that he knew where I lived, but how was he able to access records and find me out at every little turn? How does he _know_ these things?

"In short, you're still quite the liar, Lila, and you try to hide it at every turn. Apparently old habits die hard. And that leads us to what your game is." The feminine voice in the recording laughs again, and again that overwhelming urge to smash the cassette player rushes over me. "It's time to see how far you're really willing to go to save a life. I'm sure you've seen the knife that accompanied this tape player in the box, right?" I glance over to confirm that the weapon is still inside. "It's rather nice, isn't it? It's not one of my favorites; I have some that are far superior. But it certainly gets the job done. You won't be the first one to meet it, and you definitely won't be the last. So once you're done with the challenge, put the knife and cassette player back in the box and leave it outside your door." I don't care about the backstories of his weapons. I just want to know what this stupid challenge is and get it over with! "As I said way back at the beginning, your challenge is simple. Pick up the knife in the box. It's going to be your artistic tool for today. With it, I want you to carve a simple statement into your arm. That statement is: I am a liar." He pauses as if to let it sink in, but my head is reeling as to what this will accomplish. "I want to see lots of blood when you do, which means going deep. I want this scar to stick around for a long time, so that even if others don't understand why it's there, you will. It'll be a statement to the world, a neon sign telling everyone _exactly_ what you are, no matter how much you lie to say it's something else. If you haven't accomplished your task by midnight, your chosen dies."

Then it ends, and I'm left staring at the cassette player. I want so badly to smash it now, but I don't want anyone to get hurt because I broke it. This twisted Gamemaker probably will take any opportunity he can to hurt someone, and I refuse to give him the chance.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to shake, I look over at the box and grab the knife. This could be really dangerous. I could get hurt. I only have two hours to do this, so I have to get started soon, but it could not be safe. That's when I have a thought. What if I call someone to come and make sure I'm okay? To make sure I finish it, but also make sure I get to the hospital? He never said that wasn't allowed.

I set the knife down on the table and grab my phone from the counter, clicking Marinette's name that pops up right away. If I do this and get her to come, she'll know I lied about my life. She'll find out just how pathetic I am, but at this point there's more at stake than me. I can't let Nathaniel die because of me, no matter how much I hate the mere thought of doing this. This might make me sick, but thinking of Nathaniel dead because of me is even worse. I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"Mari?" I ask over the phone hesitantly when she picks up. "You there?"

"Yeah, what's up?" She tries to sound lighthearted, but I can hear the tiredness in her voice. No doubt she's barely slept while worrying about what's happened to our old classmates.

I take a deep breath. There's no backing out now, so here goes nothing. "How fast can you get over here?"

There's a pause, and then she says, "I'm not sure, I don't know where your house is. I've never been there. Why?"

Right, I do need to explain that. "He sent me a package. I'm the first challenger, and I need to have someone here to make sure I finish and to make sure I get taken to safety if something goes horribly wrong."

"I'm coming." Her voice hitches ever so slightly. She's obviously panicked, and I feel bad for putting her in this position, but she's the only one I can contact who I trust to do this. She's strong. She can handle this, right? "I need your address. Where's your house?"

"I...I lied, Mari. I don't have a nice house or car. I live in a shabby apartment maybe five minutes from your house, a few down from Nathaniel. Do you know where he lives?" I wait to hear the betrayal in her voice.

Instead, I just get a determined, "Yes, I do. What apartment number are you?"

"608." Relief for the fact that she didn't freak out over my lie seeps through me. "I got till midnight to complete the challenge."

"I'm driving over as we speak. What do you have to do?" Marinette is obviously concerned, which is what makes her such a good friend. I'm still not sure she can handle this game though.

"Carve something into my arm." There's no sound on the other end. "Mari?"

"Oh gosh, Lila." Finally she breaks the silence. "I'm almost there. Hold on, okay? I'm parking my car and then heading up."

She's not kidding. In a few moments there's a knock on the door, and I open it to see Marinette standing there, looking visibly distraught. Before I can even speak to the bluenette, she throws her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"I know you can do it, okay?" She whispers, sounding muffled through my shoulder. "You're so strong. You can do it. I know you can. And no matter how much I hate to see it, I'll be here to help. I'll make sure you and your partner are safe."

"Thanks, Mari." I say firmly as we release each other. "But just in case-"

She shakes her head with a glare. " _No_ , Lila. No just in case. You're not going to die from this. The point of these games isn't to kill us. He wouldn't allow any of us to die." Is she trying to convince me or herself? "You can do this."

Not willing to argue further and waste anymore precious time, I give a firm, "I know." It's a lie, but I've grown confident in telling them. Perhaps there's a part of me that hopes that by lying here, I'll be confident in the task at hand. I seat myself at my table with Marinette standing by me, looking unsure of what to do. "Can you make sure you have your phone handy, in case I need an ambulance?"

She nods, looking like she might be sick. "Ya, ya, I can." She looks like she'd like to ramble more, but she stays quiet instead, seeming quite helpless in this whole thing.

I pick the knife back up, trying to ignore how badly my hand shakes as I lay my arm out before me. He never said what side it has to be on, and I think the side with my palm facing up would be more dangerous. Taking deep breathes to try and steady myself, I position the knife and bite my lip to keep from crying out in pain as the tip digs in.

There's a hand on my shoulder steadying me, and while I don't look up from my work, I know that it's Mari trying her best to offer some sort of comfort and help in a challenge where she can only watch helplessly as I struggle. I've put her in a position that might haunt her almost as much as it haunts me, and as apologetic as I am for that, I know I need her to survive this. She's the only thing grounding me as I drag the knife through each letter.

At some point in the process, the pain becomes too much and I break. The tears that threatened to spill let loose, and I cry out in pain with each stroke. The knife gets shakier. My vision gets blurrier. The blood on my arm seems to almost leap out at me, begging me to stop now and end the constant stream of pain, to let it dull ever so slightly.

I want so badly to give up. It burns, especially when my tears mingle in the cuts. But then there's a hand steadying the knife, and I see that Marinette is holding on, doing whatever she can to help. Through the pain and tears she helps me finish the words, helping me to finish the task even though I'm growing lightheaded. She doesn't know what letters I'm carving, so she can't do much in guidance. But she does keep the letters a little straighter, and I try to focus more on her hand than the pain I'm causing myself as I carve. That one hand on my shoulder and the other on the knife are the only things that manage to keep me on this task, until finally through the burning pain we finish.

Marinette disappears for a moment as I toss the knife away like it burns, whimpering. Then she's back with several cloths, tying them along my arm to try and halt the bleeding the best she can. Does she know first aid? I'm not sure. I don't even know if what she's doing stops the stifling pain as I focus ahead, eyes burning with tears as I force myself to stay in the here and now instead of letting myself pass out. I don't even know if I would pass out, but who's to say how much blood I've lost at this point? It took so much longer than I expected, but it's not midnight. It's eleven o'clock, meaning it took us roughly an hour of pain to manage this. Is that enough blood to hurt me? Kill me? I can't tell.

"Package." I manage to choke out through my pain to Mari as she finishes tying the last cloth. "With the cassette player and knife. It has to go outside."

She nods in understanding, grabbing the cassette player and stuffing it in the box. She pauses for a minute in her search for the knife before seeing where I threw it and dropping it in the box. She doesn't bother to clean it. Why should we? It wasn't part of his demands, and he certainly doesn't deserve that sort of hospitality. He made me bleed. I hope he bleeds for it. Then she picks up the package, scurrying to the door and dropping it outside before ducking back in, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"Let's get you to the hospital." She says, pulling me from my chair. In my daze I'm not very helpful, all energy focused on making sure I don't pass out and make it harder. But somehow we make it to her car, and she buckles me in the passenger seat before getting in the driver's side, taking off at a speed that no doubt is illegal. "I don't know what excuse we'll give them. They might say you need hospitalized for therapy, since we can't tell them the real reason and they will no doubt jump to conclusions. But the important thing is that they can help. Okay? Just listen to my voice." She continues to ramble on as we drive, and I listen, realizing that this is the best she can do to try and make sure I stay grounded.

But as long as it works, then I don't care what she does.

* * *

 **And there we have it! Sorry for a shorter chapter than the last few, but I felt that this was a solid point to end on. If any of this was slightly unrealistic, my apologies. I'm not totally sure what this would be like, as I have never been in a situation like this, but I tried my best based on the little research I could manage. There weren't very many results, which is understandable. And this, of course, sets the tone for the rest of the story. I'm not sure how good I am at writing the pain and blood and stuff. It's painful to write that stuff, so I'm sure I shy away from explaining it too much. Sorry for disappointing anyone by doing so. However, if the tone of this chapter bothered you at all, I suggest you stop reading. This is a darker story, as I said previously, and it really can only get darker from here. I don't want anyone to get upset or even triggered from events in their own life from this story, and I would rather you not read it then have something happen to you because you read it. If I think it's something that could be upsetting or triggering, I'll put a warning at the top of the chapter, and if you think I should have warned about something else, please feel free to let me know in a PM or in a review so that I can edit and add it in. I'd rather overly warn you guys than not warn you enough.  
**

 **Anyways, what do you guys think of older Lila and her life? Were you expecting her to be first? How about her task? The mere thought of having to do something like that makes me sick. I was excited to delve into Marinette and Lila's relationship a bit though! Marinette will definitely also be a bit scarred from this event, but she also seems to almost be a rallying leader in all of this, so that's to be expected. Were you expecting Lila to make it through? What tasks do you think other people might face, now that the tone is set? Do you think there will be anyone who will fail their challenge? Let me know in a review. c:**

 **Thank you for the support you've offered so far! This is my first time writing a story with this sort of tone, and so it's awesome to have so much support in doing so, whether it be through a review, favorite, or follow. So thank you! Hopefully you guys will continue to support me.**

 **~ Dagger**


	4. Chapter 4 - Wanna Bet?

**Chapter Four - Wanna Bet?**

 **Woo! Guess who's back with another update for you guys? I know this one took a longer time than usual, but I got distracted with revamping plot lines for others and putting another story up on here. This update would have been here sooner even with those problems, but again my fanfiction account deleted half the chapter on me again when I tried to save. -.- That killed some of my motivation. But it's here now!  
**

 **Also, I totally apologize for not responding to your reviews of Chapter Two last chapter! D: That was not intentional in anyway. I will be adding those at the end of this chapter to make up, so if that section is longer than usual, that's why. c;**

 **But enough about me. As we saw last chapter, Lila has completed her challenge, saving a life by doing so. That's one of nine, meaning we have eight more people to go. Let's see who number two will be.**

* * *

 _We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble to take us._

 _~ Charles Bukowski_

* * *

 _Kim's Point of View_

* * *

I stare at the door to Chloe's mansion, glancing back at the bluenette who's standing beside me. She looks incredibly shaken up, and based on our conversation, it seems like she has every right to be. The poor girl got roped into Lila's challenge, and although she didn't say anything about her own thoughts, I don't think she was expecting to have to get so involved in the whole thing. She certainly wasn't expecting how sick the hoops we're being forced to jump through we're going to be. I wasn't either, but now that I was the only person who wasn't there to so far know what the challenge entailed, I suppose I did kind of see it coming. This guy is threatening to kill people we care about. Why would his challenges be easy or lighthearted?

If Marinette and I were closer, I would've hugged her, even if it was awkward for someone as manly as me. She obviously needed some sort of comfort, but I didn't know what to give her. We haven't talked since we graduated a few years ago, and this is honestly the first time we've ever been one on one. I don't even think we've ever worked on a project together in school, at least not one that was just the two of us.

So instead I stood there watching her internally break down as she informed me about Lila having to carve words into her skin with a knife only two days ago, forcing herself to bleed to keep Nathaniel alive. She got admitted into the hospital and apparently has to stay for psychological evaluation. Lila was in no shape to say anything to defend herself when she was barely managing to keep from passing out due to blood loss, and it wasn't like Marinette could say anything about the Gamemaker and his threats to justify what Lila did. They probably think that the Italian girl was trying to hurt herself on purpose, but I think Lila can tough it out, even though I've only had a few brief encounters with her. No doubt the girl will have herself out of there in a few days after setting them straight about her not needing to be there.

"And you don't know if anyone else got a challenge?" Marinette asks, obviously trying to keep her distress about that mere idea hidden and failing to do so.

I shake my head. "No, I'm barely even in contact with anyone in this game that's on our side of the table. I haven't talked to any of them, including you, except for Chloe since high school. I did talk to Nino once when he was the DJ at an event I attended, but it was all catch up. If there was another challenge, no one told me."

My former class representative nods, taking a deep, calming breath before focusing on the doorman standing across the street from us. "Well, then let's see if we can talk to Chloe."

* * *

In the end, we never get the chance to talk to the blonde, who appears to be just as much of a brat as she was before. We barely managed to get inside the building, and when we did, Chloe refused to see us, or as she termed it, "refused to give us an audience." When we tried to say we were going to stay there in front of her room till she opened the door and talked to us, she just kept the door shut. After five minutes of that, some people came up that Chloe must have called and "escorted" us out.

Needless to say, the entire thing was useless.

"Thank you for driving me home, Kim." Marinette says from beside me as she hops out of the car. "You really didn't have to. My apartment, as you saw, wouldn't have been that far to walk, especially since I walked all the way there."

"I'm making up for my lack of chivalry in the past." I respond. "The streets can be dangerous. Besides, it's not like it was any trouble, since you're such pleasant company, or even out of the way. This was on my route home as it was."

"Well, thank you for that." She gives me a smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. I can see how exhausted and forced it is even without having seen her ages. "I suppose I'll see you whenever the, uh, group meets up again, hm?"

I nod my head. "Definitely. It's only a few days away, and I've made sure nothing is going to come up. Besides, it's off-season for me anyways. And I take it you'll be there."

She gives me a thumbs up. "Don't hesitate to talk to someone if a challenge comes your way."

Ironically, Marinette seems to have become somewhat of a leader in all of this, just like she did when she stepped up to be class representative. I don't think the move was even intentional. However, no one is disagreeing. She's done well, but I worry about it for her mental sake. How many more challenges will she get roped into because she seems so trustworthy and eager to help?

My class representative waves one more time before walking into her apartment. Out of habit from the times I hung out with Alix I wait and watch till she's slipped inside, and then I start up the car again. It's a habit I'd learned after talking to my good friend, who was the one that made me realize how unsafe things could be, especially for a girl. Then again, this entire situation was drilling the idea that the world isn't safe into my head.

The drive to my house is a short one. I suppose it's a bit surprising to see that I'm the only one who's bought one of those yet, but then again, it also appears that I'm making the most money out of everyone else we just reunited with. There's not really much to do about the matter, so I just roll with it. However, when I pull up in my driveway, any further thoughts on the matter are cast aside at the sight of the package laying there. It could be just a simple order, but I can't think of anything that I ordered recently. My mind tries to fathom up some other excuse. Perhaps it's a gift? I can't think of anyone who would deliver me a gift like this either.

No, unless I'm mistaken, there's only one possible scenario, and I need to just confirm it. Parking my car, I carefully make my way over and pick up the package, giving it a quick once over. It has no labels, just like that envelope that was slipped under my door detailing some of the rules of this sick game and instructing me to meet Marinette in the park.

There's no mistaking it; I'm the next one up in this horrid game.

I reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone, and pull up Marinette's contact. My fingers keep missing the keys intended, but I finally manage to type out my intended message.

 _Kim: I got a box._

Marinette's response comes through seconds later, and I'm not sure if that surprises me or not.

 _Marinette: What do you have to do?_

 _Marinette: Do you need help?_

Shaking my head, I shut my phone off. I don't even know what it is, and I suppose I technically don't even know if the box is from the Gamemaker. I also know that I need to do this myself. I can't have Marinette help me.

Taking a deep breath, I pray that there's nothing to draw the neighbors' eyes and rip the box open while standing in my yard. Inside is a paper that simply has the address of a nearby cemetery on it, a cellphone, and a flashlight. None of those seem like good signs, but then again, they don't seem particularly bad. I instantly regret that when the cellphone begins to vibrate and ring out of nowhere, giving me a heart attack. I scoop it up, nearly dropping the entire box in the process, and quickly answer it.

"Good evening, Mr. Le Chien!" A deep voice, sounding rather like someone you'd expect to hear announcing at a game, echoes into my ear. "How are you doing?"

"Who are you?" I say back, but I have a feeling I already know. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask just in case.

The speaker chuckles as he answers, "Why, it's me, Kim. The Gamemaker. Don't you recognize my voice?" Before I can give him a snappy retort, he follows up with, "Don't worry. I wouldn't expect you too. It's part of my... _charm_. Wouldn't you agree?"

I force myself to remain calm and ignore his question, instead posing one of my own. "Let's skip this small talk that's obviously wasting my time and get straight to the point of this all. What do you want me to do?"

The Gamemaker laughs again. "No beating around the bush with you then? I like that in a challenger. It makes these things so much more interesting." The way he drags out the end of the statement makes me uncomfortable. He certainly knows all the buttons to push. "You probably have seen the address in the box by now, as well as the flashlight. Those are both vital for your next task. Starting at ten o'clock, you will need to enter the cemetery at the north entrance and follow a string I've laid out for you all the way to the south entrance. The flashlight will, of course, be used to help you get your bearings in the dark."

That sends off all sorts of warning bells in my head. It certainly sounds like horror movie material, but then again, I'm forgetting that this whole experience is. "The cemetery you have on the address closes at seven forty-five though."

I can almost hear the sneer in his voice when he responds with, "I'm sure you can find a way around that, Kim. You love finding loopholes." What is that supposed to mean? What does he know?

"And do I have a certain time I need to be about by?" I suppose I should be aware of that.

"Well, since you asked..." I'm hating this Gamemaker more and more by the second, "I suppose we'll cap it off at midnight. If you haven't called this number back by then, you'll have lost."

The thought of having his phone number begs for another question to be asked. "What's to stop me from turning this phone in to the police to let them track you down?"

"Besides the fact that I have several of your friends and old classmates and won't hesitate to kill them?" That already is enough to remove any thought of running to the police from my mind. "Both your phone and my phone were bought for the specific point of this task. I will be destroying mine once you fail or win, and I suggest you do the same, unless you want it to randomly blow up sometime." That thought is a gruesome one. "Also, forget tracking the call, because I'm not making it anywhere near my base, and there's no surveillance to track me hear. Understood?"

"Understood." I say, ignoring the fear that would like to be acknowledged so badly within me and instead focusing on a plan to make his game so much more easier. "So I guess I'll be calling you once I complete the task?"

"I guess you will." There's a snicker in his voice as he adds, "If you complete it."

That comment infuriates me. "I will!" However, he doesn't hear those words, because the line goes dead before I say them.

And so I unceremoniously shove the phone into my back pocket and return to my car. It's a quick drive over to the cemetery, but it's only seven fifteen when I arrive. That means I have quite a bit of sitting and waiting to, but I do it. I'm too afraid to go anywhere else, and I'm certainly not hungry enough to try and go get something to eat. I feel too sick to my stomach at the thought of Max's life being on the line to eat. That's a lot of weight to have on your shoulders, even if you have shoulders as strong as mine. At one point, I have the thought that I could fill Marinette in on these events to pass the time, but I decide against it. I'll fill her in once I win. That leaves me sitting in the car, left alone to the company of my own thoughts, and a fair amount of plotting ensues. In fact, I've developed quite the plant to ensure my victory.

The Gamemaker won't know what hit him.

Finally, ten o'clock strikes. I even make sure to wait till the Gamemaker's phone says it to count it as that time, just in case it won't count otherwise. Once it does, I step out of the car, staring at the cemetery with the closed gates before me. Trying to find some way in seems stupid. It would probably take half my time just to figure out how to get in without getting caught and into massive trouble. Besides, how do I know what he has rigged up in there? No, I have a much simpler way of doing this.

And so, with one last look at the barred gate staring at me, I spin on my heel and begin to make my way around the cemetery, quite pleased with myself. The Gamemaker thought he was so clever, but like he said, I love finding loopholes, although I sure this isn't what he meant when he said that. Now I'll ensure that I make it around in time as I hear to the south gate, and Max will live.

If I could pat myself on the back, I totally would.

The cemetery is much bigger than I thought, but that just makes this whole thing more realistic. I have no need to run, even though I could, and so instead just enjoy my leisurely walk around. I don't know why I was so concerned with this whole thing. This was so easy to bypass and easy to win. When I finally see the south entrance, it's just struck eleven o'five. Even more pleased with myself, I stroll up to the gate and lean against it. Look who's so smart now?

Still internally congratulating myself, I pull out my phone and call my last number. "Hello, Gamemaker. I beat your stupid game."

"Ah, that you did." His voice is different this time. It's an odd comparison, but it reminds me somewhat of Lord Voldemort's from the Harry Potter Movies.

I don't really care much for his tone. I'm more pleased with the fact that he totally fell for my walk around the cemetery. I outsmarted him in his own game. That on it's own is a victory unto itself, and topped with the fact that I saved Max's life, I feel like I'm floating.

"So Max is safe." I announce, which gets quite the reaction from the Gamemaker.

Raucous laughter pours from the phone, and it's so unexpected that I actually have to jerk the phone away from my ear because of the unexpected noise. "Your whole gang seems so confident in who you're saving. It's quite amusing."

That comment, even without this whole scenario, would strike me as odd. "What's that supposed to be?"

He snickers, and I can practically see him waving away my questions with his hands as he says, "Oh, nothing. However, there is one _slight_ problem with your victory, Mr. Le Chien."

That drags me back to earth, and I hesitate before asking, "And what would that be?"

"As I said earlier, Mr. Le Chien, you love loopholes. You use them all the time. How about we run through a few examples?" This conversation has suddenly taken a turn, and I'm not sure I like where it's going. "The first would, of course, be your dating life. You just can't seem to promise to be exclusive, because you'll lose your loophole to date around." I cringe. So perhaps I'm not the best with that, but I never go on more than a few dates with those girls. I've only ever had eyes for one, but she's never noticed. She's the real reason I've never actually promised exclusivity, although I suppose having my options open was another. "And then to get your nice job as a professional sportsmen, you cheated your way through the process. Bribery is generally frowned upon when exposed, Mr. Le Chien." Again, it's another jab to my pride. There might have been a bit of bribing, but that's how everyone gets into sports. How was that anything like compromising my morals? That's not a loophole, it's just using my resources. "And I know that a few of your team's victories have seemed oddly rigged when examined closer."

I have to speak up at that. "Rigged? They weren't rigged. Anything I've done is never against the rules."

The Gamemaker chuckles. "I suppose. If that's what you need to tell yourself to get to sleep at night, so be it. However, I would like to call it _cheating_." The word has an edge to it that grates on my nerves, and suddenly I wonder if my earlier victory thoughts came about to soon. "What do you think of cheaters, Mr. Le Chien?"

I force myself to remain calm. There's no way he knows I didn't go through the cemetery like he wanted. "Well, if they blatantly break and disregard the rules, then they deserve to be punished."

"Then I suppose that will be a befitting way to handle things with you, now won't it?" The words echo in my head once I hear them. "Do you really think so little of me to think that I would be fooled by you simply walking _around_ the cemetery? Please, Kim, I am of far superior intelligence to you, and I'm insulted that you would even think that would fool me." His voice reeks of ego. I hate him for it. "Especially since, if you'd paid more attention, you would've seen the tracker I left on your phone." That causes my heart to practically stop in my chest. There was a tracker on this phone. How was I such an idiot to miss that? How dumb can I be? "I suppose that's why Max was always the brains of your operations."

Max. Oh gosh, he's going to hurt Max. I can't let him kill my friend!

"I didn't cheat." I argue, grasping at straws to try and save my friend. "You never said I had to go through the cemetery! Just that I had to get from the north entrance to the south entrance."

"The meaning was inferred." He brushes off the argument, but I cling to it.

"No!" I practically shout the word at him in rage. "You don't get to do that. You _never_ said I had to go through it!"

"You cheated, Mr. Le Chien." The Gamemaker says, ignoring my further attempts to justify what I did. "And, in the words of yourself, if cheaters blatantly break and disregard the rules, then they deserve to be punished."

He totally has twisted my words against me. In desperation, I snap, "Don't hurt Max! If you hurt him for this, I'll kill you!"

"Oh don't worry, Mr. Le Chien. I won't be doing anything to him." Then the line goes dead, and in a rage I toss the phone over the fence of the cemetery. "If anything is done to him, it's on your own head."

I've just killed one of my childhood best friends. What have I done? Why couldn't I have just gone through his stupid cemetery? My vision blurs, but I force the tears back. I won't cry. I'm tough. I'm a man. I don't cry. The few droplets of water I can feel on my face must be rain, not anything else.

Through the blurriness I manage to type out one message to Marinette, who has apparently been spamming me this entire time, trying to make sure I'm okay.

 _Kim: I failed._

The mighty Kim Le Chien has fallen, and I won't even be the one to pay the price. What have I done?

* * *

 **And so we have our first failure within the story. Were you expecting to actually see anyone fail in this story, or no? :p If you weren't, then I'm sure that that came as a shocker, but what can I say? I love a good tragedy. cx Anyways, what do you think of the chapter? Was it good? Bad? Again, I'm sorry it took so long to get to you guys. :c However, hopefully this made up for it! How do you feel about Marinette and Kim's attempt to get in to see Chloe? How do you think things are going to go when it becomes her turn? Were you expecting Kim to be next, seeing as it was his perspective? I'm assuming probably. xD What do you think of his attempt to outsmart the Gamemaker? Did you think it would work and that he would get away with it, or did you find it stupid? Who do you think the Gamemaker will target next, and what do you think he or she will have to do? Let me know in a review!**

 **Now, let me make up for not responding to your reviews last chapter on Chapter 2 by responding to them all (including the ones about Chapter 3) here. I'm so sorry I forgot to last chapter! That was not intentional in any way. I love you guys and your reviews, and because of that, I want to make sure I respond to each review to express it. c: Of course, I also love all of you who follow and favorite! I feel like I tend to not show how much I appreciate that, so let me reiterate that I love that as well. Getting emails from Fanfiction about reviews, follows, or favorites make my day every time. c:**

 **pinksakura271 (Chapter 2) ~ Firstly, I wanted to say thank you so much for your review on "Please Don't Go!" I can't respond to reviews since it's a one-shot, but I wanted to say that was amazing. c: Anyways, onto your review for this one. Yes, I know, no appearances from Plagg till way further on is rather sad. :c He's one of my favorite characters. However, I will try to throw something in later specifically for you. c; And you hate Ladybug? I suppose I can see why I might, although I'd love to know your personal reasons. I don't necessarily mind her, and I didn't even mind writing that part all that much. It was more disliking having to write through everyone coming and all the ground work that I had to lay out. I would have much rather skipped straight to Lila's task. xD And aww, thank you! I absolutely love writing these ones because they are far less happy, so even though I do enjoy those, I'm glad to know other people like these too. It will definitely prompt me to continue writing ones that are far more tragic. I'm glad the chapter size was good! And trust me, I don't mind the rants. c; I actually love when you guys give me rant reviews. It means a lot to know my stories were worth getting a rant review! And haha, yes, complete wishful thinking on Marinette's part. But I would be wishful too.**

 ** **(Continuation of above review response just to break up the block of text)** Yes, the Gamemaker doesn't play around at all (I'm gonna have to steal that pun sometime :p). And agreed on the Nino and Marinette awkwardness being amusing in other circumstances. I'll have to write a one-shot with that table flipping at some point, maybe in one where Animan matchmaking succeeds? We'll see. Yep, Jalil is here! I agree, I do wish there had been more reference to the adoration of cats in Egypt, but I do believe there was an Egyptain Chat Noir on the papyrus? I don't remember for sure, and I know it wasn't called out, but I swear I saw something that looked like it. I love Nathalie a lot too! I really would like to see her get more development. And ooh! A Lila supporter! There aren't many of those. I like her when she's not out to mess up my Adrienette dreams. xD I do agree on Chat Noir being the true fighter, but he is supposed to be the protector. His costume and powers are far superior in the category of defense and even offense, while Ladybug is more meant for strategy and, in the show's case, destroying akumas. It would be hard for something with the power of Creation to injure, unless it's like creating injuries? I dunno, I kind of expected him to be the true fighter of the duo. And yes, Marinette is a bit oblivious to why Chat wasn't referenced, but they wouldn't be their oblivious selves otherwise. And ah yes, as you know by now, Nathaniel and Lila aren't _actually_ dating, but maybe that'll change in the end? We'll see. :p And yes, Ivan and Mylene (such sweethearts) are engaged! But I've still got time to mess that up too... :p**

 **smartgirl13579 (Chapter 2) : Thank you! I'm glad it was incredible. c:**

 **CrazyNerd03 (Chapter 2) : I'm glad you love it! It's certainly different to write, and I really enjoy it. c:**

 **Mikael0000 (Chapter 3) : Trust me, I wish I was genius enough to think of pulling it so that Marinette is the Gamemaker, or at least keeping it in the dark. xD Unless I'm just trying to lead you astray... :p Guess you'll just have to wait and see! Who's to say he/she will actually even be revealed?  
**

 ** **pinksakura271 (Chapter 3) : Ahhh thank you so much for letting me know I missed them! D: I can't believe I did. I'm glad they were missed by you guys though! c: I'm glad I've been handling the blood and pain well so far! I've had to do some weird research for this story so far, some of it for things yet to even happen. xD It brings me to some weird stories though. They're not fun to read. ;-; Of course this chapter didn't have any of that, but that's because Kim decided to not go through the cemetery. Guess we'll never know if there would've been any had he entered! I'm glad you liked Lila's POV! It was super interesting to write from, and I find it super cool that she's your favorite gal in Miraculous. c; And haha, that's a good way to put it. cx And yes, the Gamemaker isn't super kind, but if he were, we wouldn't have this story! xD And agreed, it was all Marinette's fault, but people make mistakes. It was certainly an interesting villain. I will be excited to see if/when she makes another appearance. Her scar will certainly not be a fun one to bear, but at least she's kept Nathaniel alive! He's such a sweetheart, I adore him.  
****

 ** **Unfound Name (Chapter 1) : That first word pretty much sums up the story. xD And haha, I'm glad it adds flair! He's very interesting to write. Hopefully you're still curious on what's going to happen!****

 ** **Unfound Name (Chapter 2) : Haha, who's to say everything is as it appears? The people thing is, of course, pretty straight forward. But remember, the Gamemaker never actually said who the pairs would be. Everyone established them on their own. c; You'll just have to figure out if I'm leading you astray or not with that line of thinking! As for the Gamemaker, no promises on him ever actually being revealed. We'll just have to see.****

 ** **Unfound Name (Chapter 3) : Don't worry, I lose my train of thought all the time! cx Yep, Marinette might end up being super scarred, we'll just have to see how it goes. And ah yes, I can't guarantee that they'll all be darker (this one for example wasn't), but they'll certainly get tougher and, as we've now established that people are gonna die, we certainly are going to be seeing some of that. Major character death warning now I suppose! xD And yes, I did say that just as a warning, since I wasn't sure what people would consider too dark. I definitely understand your confliction on the matter. I feel the same way about things of this matter, or even on things like watching people play through horror games. On the one hand, I'm desperate to get some answers, but I'm also nervous. So I totally get you. c; And don't worry about rambling! I don't mind. :p****

 ** **Thank you so much for all those reviews and the support! It honestly makes my day, especially because this story was such an experiment. If receptions stays well, I am considering one of a similar style, but we'll have to see if I'm up for it after this one. cx****

 **Fun fact before we go, just because I want to have a more interesting ending than my "see you next time," although I hope I will see you guys next time! Anyways, my fun fact is that this story was originally going to be named "Requests of a Killer." However, I felt that was far too straight forward and not nearly unique enough, so I decided to scrap that and use this name instead. However, both chapters one and two are titled that way in my doc manager, so I only began to save them with the actual name last chapter. xD**

 **Anyways, until next time (there goes my attempts to not end the same way as always)!**

 **~ Dagger**


	5. Chapter 5 - By Any Other Name

**Chapter Five - By Any Other Name**

 **Woo, look who's back with another update! I'm super hyped for this story and so I decided I wanted to write this chapter (which is one of my favorites to think about plotting out). Hopefully you guys will like it as much as I do! :D I think it will hopefully make up for any disappointment there might have been over Chapter Four. But before I go ahead and spoil everything, let's throw one thing out there.**

 **While I don't want to say how exactly it comes into play, I will state this as a potential trigger: suicide.**

 **Anyways, time to dive back into this story. Let's see what the Gamemaker has in store for us this time. And yes, I do know two of my other stories need updates, but I'm far too hyped for this chapter to waste the inspiration.**

* * *

 _"If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?"_

 _~ Shakespeare_

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

Three days have passed since Kim failed his challenge. The thought has driven me to get little to no sleep, despite Tikki's urging. For once I'm thankful that I have a stay at home job for the most part. It certainly keeps me distracted and busy from the threat looming over me, but not as much as it could. Not as much as I wish it did.

Head aching, I rest it against my desk, only for Tikki to nudge me in the side of the head. "Marinette, the meeting with the rest of your friends to discuss any updates on the Gamemaker situation."

"Crap, you're right." I jolt upwards, shutting my eyes. "And I have to go pick Lila up. She's getting released today. Come on, we gotta go!"

Snagging my bag from the side of my chair, I sprint for the door, only for Tikki to practically shriek - at least that's what it sounds like to my sleep-deprived ears - at me. "Wait, what about me?"

Skidding to a halt, I spin around at the door and wait for the red kwami to catch up and dive into my back. "Sorry, Tikki."

She gives me a shrug, which I take to mean as her forgiving me. Relieved, I make my way out the door and to my car. The place Lila is at isn't too far from my apartment, so it shouldn't be too hard to pick her up on the way to Jalil's house, who was graciously agreed to have us over. It's a little bit out of the way, but I can manage for my friend.

And, as it turns out, I'm completely correct in it being a quick assignment. We're in and out before I even know it. Lila is quite insistent on getting out fast, and once we're in the car, let's out a loud sigh of relief.

"You have no _idea_ how horrible it was to be in there with no way to explain that this wasn't a self-harming incident or suicide attempt or anything like that." Lila says, gesturing to her arm, which still bears the marks of the words she was forced to carve in. I'm assuming those will stay with her for a long time. "They told me it would scar, that there was no way to fix it. Like I didn't know that."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." I respond, not sure how else to express my sympathy, seeing as the closest experience I would have had to not being able to explain my real reasons for something is something she would never understand or accept.

"If it saved Nathaniel, then it's worth it." She basically mumbles the words, but I still pick up on them.

And I can't help myself when I say, "He must mean a lot to you. You're lucky to have him as a boyfriend."

I try to keep myself from sounding bitter and jealous. I really do. However, I can't help the tiny bit of it that slips into my voice. Once upon a time, Lila was jealous of me over Adrien, although at that time she was upset with my alter ego, and I did nothing to make things better. Now, I'm jealous not because she has a relationship with Nathaniel, but more that she has a relationship at all. I would give anything to be in a relationship with Adrien, who I think must have forgotten I exist at this point, even though I work for his father's company.

Lila hesitates for a moment before shutting her eyes and announcing, "That was another lie, Marinette. Like my comments about living in a nice house and owning a car. All lies."

Geez, talk about dropping a bombshell, but I guess I was technically already prepared for that fact, even if I didn't know it. We sit there in silence for a few minutes, and after I check to see that we're only a few minutes from Jalil's house, I ask, "Will you tell him how you feel, once everything is said and done?"

"Has anyone else gotten a challenge?" Lila's change of topic is less than graceful, but I let her get away with it for now. She's had a rough enough time as it is.

"Kim did." I should have expected this to get dredged up, but I still can't bear to think about it. Now I have to tell Lila what happened?

There's a look of contemplation on her face as she considers it. "What did he have to do?"

I sigh, keeping my eyes focused on the road. We're almost there. "It wasn't anything nearly as hard as what you went through, or so we have to assume. I wasn't there for it, but from what he's said, he was going to have to break into a cemetery and find his way through to the other side."

Of course that leads to the follow up question of, " _Was_ going to?"

"He thought he could outsmart the Gamemaker by just walking around." I say, heartbreaking as I remember what this means for one of our old friends all over again.

"Did he do it?" I wish Lila didn't have to ask, could just grasp the underlying themes to my words, understand that I have been trying to tell her without spelling it out this whole time.

Slowly, I shake my head. "No, he failed, and I'm sure by now Max is dead."

"He shouldn't have tried to cheat the Gamemaker. He should have just gone through the stupid cemetery. It can't have been that hard." Lila snaps, folding her arms.

"Please, go easy on him at this meeting." I beg. "He's taking it really hard. He texted me to tell me that it happened and went wrong, so I called him up. I'm as mad at him for trying to outsmart him as you are, but please, we can't tear each other apart. He's gonna need support."

Lila shrugs, but after a moment concedes with a, "I'll do my best."

I nod, stopping the car. "Good, because we have arrived."

Hopping out of the car, I walk around to try and grab Lila's door for her, but she's already hopped out as well. Giving me a small smile, I force myself to offer her one in return.

"Come on, Mari, you don't have to fake it with me." Lila says, shaking her head.

"No," I admit, "but I do have to for everyone else inside. They need a source of optimism."

"Just don't neglect what you need in the process." She remarks with a frown.

I decide that it's probably best not to respond. Instead I lead the way up the stairs and knock on the door. It takes a few seconds, but then the door cracks open and Jalil is peering out.

Upon seeing that it's us, he opens the door the whole way, and gives a tired apology. "I'm sorry about that, I've just been so paranoid that it's going to be me next each time there's a knock on the door."

Before I can say anything, Lila pipes up as she walks inside. "It's fine. Are we the first ones here?"

"No, Ivan and Nino walked, and Kim and Nathalie both parked a bit down the street." He ticks them off on his finger.

As if to add to his point, someone from the other room - I think it's Nino - shouts, "The party is back here, dudes!" Thank goodness someone else is trying to keep the atmosphere light.

Lila makes her way back snickering as Jalil remarks to me, "With you guys here, the only one left is the blonde girl. Her name was Rose, right?" I nod, and then he drops his voice a bit lower to ask, "And how is Lila?"

"Her spirits are a lot higher than I expected," I admit, but then force myself to give him a wide smile, "but that's a good thing."

"Very true." Jalil says with a nod. He gestures down the hallway, but before he can say anything, there's a sharp knock at the door. "Let me get that." He creeks the door open a smidge before mumbling another, "I'm sorry," and pushing it open all the way.

"It's okay." Replies Rose as she steps inside, looking quite nervous in her bulky, brown coat. "Sorry I'm a bit late."

"You're fine, Rose." I say, hoping my voice won't betray me to reveal how tired I really am. "Lila and I only just arrived anyways."

Jalil shuts the door and then gestures down the hallway again. "We're all here now, so let's head on back to see everyone."

We tag along behind him as he leads the way back, and along the way I whisper to Rose, "I really like your jacket." It is a bit big on her, but it's nice all the same.

She shifts, seeming a bit uncomfortable, before whispering back, "Thank you."

"Everyone's finally here!" Nino remarks when we enter the room, and I guess we all just choose to ignore the fact that Chloe has still yet to reach out and make contact on the matter. As I survey the room, I note that everyone else is already seated, not counting those of us to just enter the room. "You can come sit over here with me and Lila, Mari."

"And I saved a seat for you, Rose." Ivan chimes in, and the blonde girl beside me gratefully scurries over.

I'm a bit surprised she doesn't even bother to take off the large coat. It does look nice, but it must be hot. It just strikes me as odd.

Ignoring it, I plop down between Nino and Lila while Jalil takes a seat by the fire, across from Nathalie. However, Nathalie doesn't stay sitting long. She stands up, seeming to prepare to say something, and I take the opportunity to do a brief sweep of the room.

Lila, Nino, and I are all sitting on one couch. There's another one against another wall that is currently occupied by Ivan and Rose. Jalil and Nathalie had the chairs by the fire, and then Kim just stands in the corner. There's a chair off to the side he could sit in, or he could even have sat with Ivan and Rose, so I'm guessing he's just not ready to interact with anyone.

"Well, as everyone is aware by now," Nathalie begins, "Lila was the first to receive her challenge." Lila shifts awkwardly in her chair as all of our gazes turn to her, only for Nathalie to call them back to herself. "She passed, which means-"

Before anything else can be said, Rose stands up. One hand is reached into her coat, and when she throws it off, we're all shocked to see the gun that she holds in her hands. She points it at each of us in turn, it lingering on Lila and Kim more than anyone else. Everyone squirming to try and get out of its path when she does, but then she turns it back on herself, finger on the trigger.

"Rose, what are you doing?" Ivan gapes, reaching towards her, but Rose jumps back.

For a moment, we all are frozen in silence, waiting on baited breath as we watch to see what Rose is going to do.

Then, the poor girl breaks, nearly dropping the gun as she bursts to tears and wails, "I can't do it!"

In a moment I'm up, stumbling to her side and doing my best to offer her a comforting hug. "What on earth happened there, Rose?"

"H-he told me someone from our group has to get shot tonight... _I_ have to shoot someone tonight by eight o'clock..." Rose is a blubbering mess as I nod to Ivan to carefully pull the gun from her hands. "I thought I could do it. I really did! But I can't, and now Juleka is going to die!"

"It's seven forty-five right now." Nathalie says carefully, glancing at the clock. "Something has to be done _now_."

* * *

 _Rose's Point of View_

* * *

"What the heck do you want?" I shout into the phone, terrified out of my mind. "Why are you calling me?"

"Because, my dear Rose," The woman's voice on the other end of the line sounds quite pleased with herself, "you are the next player in this brilliant little game we have."

My heart races in my chest, but I try to sound brave for Juleka's sake. "What do you want me to do? I know what you did to Lila. What are you going to make me do?"

The lady laughs at me, shaking her head. "It has to do with that little meeting you and the rest of my challengers," How can she call us _her_ challengers? And why is the Gamemaker choosing to talk to me in this voice? I just want this to be over, "because I know that it's happening. I have eyes on all of you."

I take a deep breath before asking my question again, "What are you going to make me do?"

"I'm sure you've seen the gun in your box by now, beautiful flower. You are going to use that to shoot someone in your group before eight o'clock ends. I suppose there are a few things you should remember when doing this. Some people haven't had their challenge yet. While they might deserve it, if you shoot them, they won't be able to complete their challenge, guaranteeing someone's murder." The thought horrifies me. "You could choose someone who deserves it, like Chloe, but I doubt she'll be there. It'd probably take a lot of work to get to her, as I know Kim and Marinette tried to see her and failed." Besides, what if Chloe hasn't been challenged yet? Then I would be guaranteeing Sabrina's death. Even if I don't like the redhead or the diva, I would never wish that on anyone. "And then there are those who have already had their challenges: Kim and Lila." Kim had his challenge? I had no idea. "Lila was victorious, so it would be rather cruel to shoot her down, especially after what she went through. But Mr. Le Chien? He tried to cheat his way through, and failed because of it. That deserve punishment, don't you think?" Maybe it does, but can I really try to take justice into my hands like that? That seems like the plots of many stories where that person who thinks they can deal justice is the villain. How can I put myself in that position? "Or perhaps you choose the easiest one of all to target. Yourself. Then it is on your own head. No one else has to die and the person you are paired with gets to live."

"I-I understand." I whisper, staring at the gun with shaking hands.

"Good." The Gamemaker sounds so smug. I hate it. "Now let's see if you can actually go through with it."

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Jalil asks, frustrated. "None of us here _want_ to die, and we certainly don't want Rose to have to shoot herself. How do you suggest solving this situation?"

Then a voice from the corner speaks up. "Have her shoot me."

All of our gazes swivel to land on the speaker, who just so happens to be a distraught looking Kim. He has obviously had no sleep as of late, looking as if he's been destroyed inside. I guess that's what failing this has done to him.

Rose shakes her head. "No, Kim, I can't shoot you. I _can't_." The distress in her voice is evident.

Why is the Gamemaker doing this to us?

"You have to. No one else is allowed to die." Kim says forcefully. "I failed my challenge. I _deserve_ to die after sentencing Max to die because I thought I was so clever. I was stupid. I was an idiot, and now I have to live with it!" He pants, his voice having gotten louder and louder with each word. After a moment, he whispers, "Please, Rose, put me out of my misery. I can't live with myself anymore. I can't do this." Kim's voice breaks at the end, and his eyes are watering, filled with pain. My heart breaks for him.

"Kim, you can't blame yourself for this." Nino tries to comfort the poor guy, but this just infuriates him.

"Try telling me that after you experience the utter destruction that is knowing you caused your childhood best friend to _die_." Kim snarls at him.

Lila puts a hand in front of Nino, as if to stop Kim from leaping at him in a rage, although Kim makes no move to do so. "Kim, Nino is right. You can't blame yourself. You made a mistak-"

Kim glares at the Italian, his voice flat as he says, "A mistake that cost someone their _life_. You have _no_ idea what I'm going through, Lila. You won your challenge. You saved a life. You're a prime example to us all to beat the odds, and you had to stick a knife into your skin. I couldn't even bother to go through a stupid cemetery!" His voice shakes as he turns his gaze back to Rose. "I'm begging you to do this, Rose. Please."

"Give Rose back the gun, Ivan." Nathalie instructs, and I stare at her in dismay.

"Nathalie, we can't let him sacrifice himself!" I exclaim, turning to try and stop Ivan, but he's already done the deed, flashing me an apologetic look. "This is wrong!"

"Marinette is right. There has to be another way." Jalil argues, but nobody is listening.

Rose stands there, trembling as Kim kneels in front of her and Ivan helps her position the gun at his head. We wait, my heart racing as I wonder if I'm really going to let this happen. How can I let him get murdered right before my eyes? Who am I to declare that his life is worth more than whoever Rose is attached to, or vice versa? This is wrong! So wrong!

Finally Rose's hands fall again as she cries out, seeming to almost be in pain. "I can't shoot him!"

Kim rips the gun from her fragile fingers, pushing it against the side of his head and barely trembling. "Then I'll do it for you."

"Kim!" I exclaim, reaching out as if I can somehow stop him, but then he pulls the trigger and in an instant he's gone. In desperation I turn to stare at everyone in the group, shaking with either shock, distress, or fury as I practically shout at them, "What have we allowed ourselves to do?"

"Save someone's life." Nathalie snaps back, pointing to the clock, which has just turned to eight. "He was suffering. Now he's out of his misery. It was like a mercy kill. Now someone else will live."

"We took justice into our own hands. There is a reason humans don't do that." Jalil jumps to my side of the argument, and I'm grateful for the support. This was wrong. What have we allowed ourselves to do?

I look around at everyone in the room. Ivan is staring down at Kim, obviously still shocked. Lila at some point during this latched onto Nino, probably pushed back to thinking of her own experience. Nino has taken pity on her, hugging her in what I assume is an attempt to anchor and comfort her. Nathalie and Jalil are caught in a heated staring contest, both seeming to attempt to burn holes into their opponents heads. Then there's Rose, simply standing there and shaking as she stares down at Kim.

Then a phone rings out, jolting everyone to attention, and slowly Rose pulls a phone from her pocket. "It's _him_." She sounds terrified, but she puts it to her ear. "Hello?" After a moment, she whispers, "He wants me to put it on speaker."

"Well? Do as he asks." Nathalie instructs, gesturing at the phone.

Rose nods and does as told, hand trembling as she holds the phone out for everyone to hear. The same voice from the first cassette player rings out, sending chills down my spine. "I assume I'm on speaker now, so I'll be brief. I wouldn't want to waste your precious time, seeing as you have a body to hide."

Poor Rose looks too panicked to respond properly, so Ivan takes over for her. "Get to the point, Gamemaker. Rose beat your challenge."

The horrid man snickers as he says, "You are right. She beat it. At least, she _would_ have beat it, if it weren't for one tiny detail."

Fury fills Ivan's eyes as he snaps, "What do you mean? Rose did it. You can't say she didn't!"

"Oh, but I can." The Gamemaker's voice is so condescending that it hurts. "You see, I told Rose that _she_ had to shoot someone in the group. Rose can confirm that that was what I said."

"I killed Juleka!" Rose wails, throwing the phone into Ivan and pulling herself into a ball on the floor.

As I kneel beside her, trying my best to comfort the poor girl, the Gamemaker adds, "And you know what the worst part is? I never said that whoever you shot had to die." Then the line goes dead and all that can be heard are Rose's sobs.

* * *

 **And there we have it. What did you guys think of the chapter? Was it good? Bad? Were you guys expecting my twist on the fact that most of the chapter wasn't from our next challenger's point of view? I was quite happy to do that twist, so I hope it messed with someone out there. :p What do you guys think of the challenge Rose had? What do you think of Kim's suicide? Were you expecting Rose to fail due to the fact that she wasn't the one to shoot him? Who do you think the next challenger will be? What do you think they'll have to do? Do you have any bets on who you think will fail and who do you think will succeed? Let me know in a review. c:**

 **Until next time! You guys are the best.**

 **~ Dagger**


	6. Chapter 6 - Silent as a Stone

**Chapter Six - Silent as a Stone**

 **And guess who's back! If you guessed anyone who is not Dagger, you are wrong. :p Hopefully you didn't though! Anyways, yes, I am back with another chapter of this less-than-happy story. This chapter is hopefully going to be a bit less "traumatizing" than the last one (I use the term loosely, as I know that it probably does not actually classify as traumatizing), but I'm not an expert on what can be considered that, so I won't say that it is for sure. I can at least report that there is nothing that I think will be particularly triggering except for a few references to previous events in chapters that I referenced might have triggers in them.**

 **This chapter will be a bit shorter, but you'll see why. However, let's skip any more of my rambling before I give anything away and see who is up to bat against the Gamemaker next!**

* * *

 _A wretched soul, bruised with adversity, we bid be quiet when we hear it cry; but were we burdened with like weight of pain, as much or more we should ourselves complain._

 _~ Shakespeare_

* * *

 _Ivan's Point of View_

* * *

I'm not sure how I knew I was next on the Gamemaker's list. I've had the feeling since two nights ago, whenever I watched Kim shoot himself and Rose fail her challenge because she wasn't the one to shoot him. It made trying to help her as she completely broke down ten times harder, because that thought just kept nagging in the back of my head.

Now it's finally hear, and I'm not sure what to make of it. I haven't heard a ton about what the others went through, besides Rose. Most of them kept it rather under wraps, and by most of them, I mean the only other two to have to do something: Lila and Kim. However, from what I do know, they either got a phone in their box that the Gamemaker called or a cassette player recorded by the Gamemaker. I don't have either. Instead I have a piece of paper with instructions written out on it. There isn't even an explanation about what will be happening, just a simple instruction sheet.

Still trying to take it all in, I reread the note once more.

* * *

 _Congrats, Ivan. You're up next._

 _Step 1 - Make your way to the address written on the back of this paper. Arrive on site at eleven o'clock pm, or I will have to assume you aren't coming._

 _Step 2 - Once there, go around to the back door and knock once._

 _Step 3 - Wait for a moment, then knock twice._

 _Step 4 - Wait for a moment, then knock thrice._

 _Step 5 - Wait for someone to open the door for you, and then your challenge begins._

 _Let your game begin._

* * *

The address isn't too far from my house. I'll have to leave in about five minutes if I want to make it with time to spare. Still, this whole thing seems awfully concerning, especially with no explanation as to what will happen. How concerned do I need to be right now? What is going to happen to me?

I have to tell someone, just in case things go horribly wrong at this location. I have to make someone aware so that I don't just disappear off the map like everyone else. But who could I even tell? Mylène, the women I would trust my life on, has been taken. I have to do whatever this is to save her life, even if it costs me mine. Still, it rules out telling her. I'd tell Nathaniel or Juleka, but both of them have been caught to. Rose? No, she just had enough trauma strike her. I can't push anything else onto her, or the little women will shatter.

But who is there left to tell? As I look in my phone messages, searching for someone to trust within the group, when my eyes land on Marinette's name. She's strong, and helped so many people already. Even if she might not forgive me for playing a hand in Kim's suicide - gosh, the mere thought that it is partly my fault that boy is gone is a kick to the gut - I know that she will listen. She's my best option it now.

* * *

 _Ivan: Hey Marinette, how are you holding up?_

 _Marinette: I'll live. How about you?_

 _Ivan: Same as you._

 _Ivan: I got my challenge._

 _Marinette: What is that monster making you do?_

* * *

That's the most venomous comment I've ever seen Marinette make towards someone. I can't imagine what she must sound like when discussing the Gamemaker in person. It's actually a terrifying thought.

* * *

 _Ivan: Not sure yet. I just got a list of instructions to get into a place, and an address._

 _Marinette: Want me to come with you?_

 _Ivan: No, I'm okay._

 _Ivan: Besides, I don't think you'd be allowed._

 _Marinette: Probably not. But be careful, okay?_

 _Ivan: Of course. I have to bring Mylène home._

 _Marinette: I know you can do it._

 _Ivan: Look, I'm going to do whatever it takes. So if it's the worst..._

 _Marinette: No. No one else is going to die in this game._

 _Ivan: Just make sure that if things go south and I'm gone to win, Mylène knows I did it for her._

 _Ivan: Make sure she knows I love her._

 _Ivan: And make sure she is safe and doesn't blame herself._

 _Marinette: You won't die, Ivan._

 _Ivan: Please, Marinette._

 _Marinette: I'll tell her that if things go south._

 _Marinette: But I won't have to because when this is all said and done, you are going to be there to hold her close and tell her all of that yourself._

 _Ivan: I have to get going now. I'm not going to lose by being late._

 _Marinette: Stay safe._

* * *

Taking a deep breath, I shut my phone off. Now someone knows what I'm heading into. Now there's someone I can talk to about this mess if I get out alive. Now there's someone who can take care of Mylène if I die so that I can save her. I can trust Marinette with this.

Filled with determination, I hurry to my car. I do my best to not allow myself to think too much on the drive to the location. Instead, I just focus on the drive and my GPS, which chimes into the silence every now and then to give me the directions. I refuse to let myself dwell on what my task might be. Speculation will only scare me, and I cannot risk freezing up. I cannot risk Mylène's life. She is worth everything to me, and without her my life is empty. If I die to save her, so be it.

I would do anything to save her.

Finally, my GPS announces, "Your destination is on your left."

Taking a deep breath, I pull up on the curb, not caring whether it's legal to park here or not. I can barely see anyways. Who knew the night would become so dark so fast? I can barely make out this building, which is in the darker, shabbier areas of town. The street lights aren't close enough to illuminate my destination for me.

I ignore it, instead determinedly walking up to the building and placing my hand on the wall as I try to find my way around to the back. Thankfully I find the corner and manage to make it to the back. My eyes have properly adjusted at this point, so I can make out the door, and I walk up to it as bravely as possible. The instructions said to knock once, then wait, then knock twice, then wait, then knock three times, and then I wait till someone opens it for me.

So that's what I do. I'm left standing out there for a few moments, and just when I'm starting to get nervous that I messed it up, a blindfold comes slamming down over my eyes.

"Wha-" I begin to exclaim, only for a hand to cover my mouth and shut me off.

"Quiet down, Ivan Bruel." The voice that greets me sounds exactly like Mylène's, but I know it's not. There's something off about it. Is this the Gamemaker? "We're headed inside."

I hear a door creak open, and then I'm not so graciously shoved inside and pulled along for a bit. Finally, the hand comes off my mouth, and I'm able to breath properly again. The air feels cold and damp; I hate it. Where even are we?

Sadly, the blindfold stays on as Mylène's voice echoes in my ears again. "I'm glad you're here, Ivan. You've completed the first part of your task, but there's more if you're aiming to save your friend's life. Let me explain the choice you have. On the one hand, you can walk out now. Your assigned partner will die, but you will be safe from any sort of harm. On the other hand, you can stay and face your challenge. I will lay you out on an operating table, and your vocal cords will be cut. I know that when you were younger, you used to be rather quiet. But you won Mylène over using your voice and since then you've just learned to talk more and more. Can you handle losing that?" He chuckles, and I feel sick to my stomach. That's what this sicko wants? "Once it begins, it'll be painful. But I don't mind. I like to hear people scream. Thankfully for you, none of your friends will hear you scream, because I'm not keeping them here." That rules that out, but I expected that. This guy is too smart to keep them in a place he tells us to go. "Once the operation begins, you can end it any time by throwing up a peace sign with one of your hands. If you do, your friend dies, and you'll probably have permanent damage to your voice. But it will end the pain occurring right then."

I force myself to remain calm. This is for Mylène. "Just do it." How am I going to handle losing my speech altogether? I'm not sure, but if it's for Mylène, then I will do it.

"Then let's get started." The Gamemaker announces with a snicker.

And in a few moments, the most unbearable pain I've ever felt courses through me, and I begin to scream. That's certainly not the last noise I expected to hear leave my mouth.

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

"Marinette, you have to go to bed." Tikki whispers beside me, nudging my shoulder.

I shake my head. "I can't. Ever since Ivan told me he'd got his trial, I haven't been able to think of anything else. I'm terrified for him. It's been what, four hours since it was supposed to happen? What if he failed? What if he's dead?"

Before Tikki can say anything else, I notice my phone go off, and practically dive for it.

* * *

 _Ivan: I finished my trial._

 _Marinette: What happened?_

 _Ivan: I can't talk about it._

 _Ivan: Not now._

 _Ivan: But Mylène is safe._

* * *

I breath a sigh of relief, holding my phone close to my chest. He did it. She's alive. Our second victory against the Gamemaker has happened in the hands of Ivan.

Tikki nudges me, regaining my attention. "Now will you go to bed?"

I nod, standing up from my desk and glancing at my bed. "Yes, I will."

* * *

 **And there we go! Our second win. What did you think of this chapter? Like I said, it was shorter, but I think it was worth it to be shorter because dragging it out seemed unnecessary. Was it good? Bad? How do you feel about the challenge? I felt that there needed to be one a bit easier on all of our souls for a bit. cx We'll be seeing a bit more of Ivan reacting to this later. Any bets on who will be the next one to face a challenge? We have Jalil, Nathalie, Nino, Chloe, and Marinette left. What's your favorite challenge been so far? Least favorite? Are you happy Ivan won? Do you have any guesses as to what other challenges might be? Let me know in a review!**

 **pinksakura271 : Don't worry, I don't blame you! c: And definitely agreed, I'm happy with this new name. No guarantees on Lila and Nathaniel. As for Lila fans, yes, I can definitely see why that's frustrating. I'll admit that I definitely hated her at first, but I'm more okay with her now. Plagg will at least make an appearance in the epilogue, and I agree, he is one of the only contestants in Adrien's life. Don't worry, Kim is not my favorite either, but it was definitely interesting to write his perspective! I won't say anything on the subject of where Marinette's challenge be is order wise, not that it will affect anything, but still. I gotta keep some secrets. :p We will be seeing repercussions for Chloe, don't worry. Thank you about the Shakespeare quote! I like it a lot. I agree that Marinette's jealousy was misplaced, but keep in mind that Chat did the same thing in Copycat. c; Also, by Volpina Marinette and Adrien have gotten closer as friends, so I personally feel that if Chat is justified in his actions, so is Mari. And oh my, that's an intense poem. Keep in mind though that technically Adrien has done the exact same thing to Marinette. He's completely oblivious to Mari's crush on him, and Ladybug is completely oblivious that Chat actually loved her. Also, I don't believe Chat doesn't have any support. As the one who can deevilize the akumas, it makes sense for Ladybug to be more popular, but Chat doesn't seem to have this problem. I'd love to continue the discussion in a PM if you'd want to though! c: And ah yes, Rose must suffer too. Even if Nathalie is right, it's still a sad end. As for a chapter with the ones the Gamemaker has, we won't be seeing any of those till the challenges are complete. _Then_ we will be seeing their perspectives on things. :p I have to drag it out as long as possible!**

 **Marichat77 : I'm glad you like it! Sorry for a shorter chapter. And ah yes, that is a good question. I'm not totally sure where all my ideas come from, if I'm honest. I'd say** **a lot of it stems from my own fears or just the thought of "what would be devastating for people to read? W** **hat would I, as a fan, hate to see but feel the need to keep reading anyways?" You know, that sort of thing. c:**

 **Mikael0000 : Thank you! I'm glad this is getting a positive response. cx Sorry this chapter wasn't quite as dark though! I promise we'll be delving further into that again later. :p**

 **gleamqueen : I'm glad I got that reaction! It was meant to be infuriating when they all assumed someone had to die. And oh my! That's awesome that I got a verbal reaction like that! xD And thank you. I love angst. cx**

 **And there we have it! You had an easy ride this chapter, but next chapter we'll be climbing back into the dark aspects of the story.**

 **~ Dagger**


	7. Chapter 7 - That Little Spitfire

**Chapter Seven - That Little Spitfire**

 **Oh my, it's been far too long! I'm sorry for the disappearance, I've been stressed, tired, depressed, and unmotivated. Also, I've lost the notebook I kept writing drafts for some updates in, so I've been struggling to find that so I don't have to rewrite certain updates. I won't waste your time running on and on with excuses; instead, let's read this long-awaited chapter. c:**

* * *

 _"My drops of tears I'll turn to sparks of fire."_

 _~ Shakespeare_

* * *

 _Chloe's Point of View_

* * *

It burned. It was all so hot and I couldn't see or breathe. My nose burned as I tried to inhale and the acrid smell made me want to vomit. Why couldn't I just vomit? I couldn't see and I was choking and it was so, so hot. I couldn't tell where anything was anymore and I could barely breathe and when I tried I couldn't even scream as I clawed forward, trying to remember how I had ended up in this situation. Where was I in the hotel? Where was my father? How did things go so wrong?

I didn't ask to be a part of this game. My eyes watered, although I wasn't sure if it was from the smoke stinging my eyes or despair, and at this point I didn't care. I just wanted to find my father. I just wanted to get out. I just wanted to breathe.

This all began earlier this day. How was that possible? It didn't make sense. How could everything go so wrong so quickly?

No, I had to think clearly. Slamming a hand over my mouth to try and filter out some of the smoke, I cough as I continue to stumble forward. I have to focus on something while moving forward. I just have to think of something else, like how I got here.

It was that letter. That stupid letter and that stupid package that came from the same person who sent the initial note. That note that told me to meet others in the park for some message, the note that I ignored. Pulling in another smoke-filled breath, I force myself to remember the letter. It's better than focusing on the fire that roars around me, that I'm afraid is licking at my feet and slowly burning me like it's burning everything else.

That dang letter, in its pristine, white envelope. It'd been sitting on top of the small cardboard box. I don't know why I opened it after that strange note, but then again, the note came over a week ago. It was out of sight and out of mind, only to be dredged up again because of that stupid letter. I'd taken the package, dropped it on my bed and frowned at it before focusing on the envelope.

I'd thrown it back down after reading it.

* * *

 _Dear Chloe,_

 _You have been quite insistent on ignoring my game so far. I don't appreciate it, but it does make watching you much more interesting. If you do not follow what this letter says, someone will die. Are you willing to risk someone's life because you think this is a prank?_

 _I suppose we'll have to see. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat. We all are. My lovely prisoners, well, they're terrified of who might fall next. Will you disappoint them?_

 _Inside the box, you will find the tools you need to burn your father's hotel - your home - to the ground. You can choose to ignore them, and once it hits midnight I will know to kill my prisoner who's fate is tied to yours. However, if you choose to burn it down, they will be spared. It is ultimately your choice. What's worth more, your livelihood or someone else's?_

 _There is_ one _catch. If you choose to burn the hotel down, you cannot evacuate the building or warn anyone beforehand. Your father is an old man, is he not? Well, you will have to let him find his own way. You are_ not _allowed to go back for him, or go to help him out. He must get out on his own._

 _Good luck, my dear Chloe. Let's hope you make the right decision._

 _The Gamemaker_

* * *

I hadn't believed him. How could I? But something irked in the back of my mind. Sabrina and Adrien both had mysteriously stopped answering my texts and calls. They hadn't shown up to the few hang outs we'd organized either. Supposedly, Adrien was out on a business trip and Sabrina was on vacation, but they wouldn't have just dropped me like that. Not _me_ , their best friend.

It was eleven o'clock when I finally stopped agonizing over the letter and chose to act. I'd opened the box and found the lighter, as well as a simple gloating note.

* * *

 _The best way to start a fire is laundry, my dear._

* * *

I hated this man. I wanted to throw his stupid notes and box outside and forget it ever happened. But there was some nagging voice in my head; call it intuition. Whatever it was, something told me I had to do this. The same feeling I'd gotten as a child the day my mother left, the one I'd never been able to forget no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't ignore it.

I grab some of my dresses out of the closet, cringing as I toss them on the ground. The fire alarm, it has to be disabled to pull this off. Thankfully, I had access to the controls; I had access to everything in the hotel. So I'd ran down, huffing and puffing as I arrived and hesitantly shut them down. Then I hurried back, grabbing the lighter with a shaking hand and setting the cloth ablaze.

I didn't light just one pile of clothes. I let four catch fire, one of them sitting haphazardly in front of the heater, before forcing myself to calmly make my escape. I couldn't trigger anyone to realize there was a desperate need to escape. If I did, I would fail the challenge.

As I made it out, people began to scream. I didn't know much about fire, but I could guess someone had found my challenge. I could only hope that it was spreading, and that it was big enough to not be put out so easily. I couldn't be sure, not until the people began to pour out of the building as smoke began to billow out of the window. There was screaming and madness in the streets as people stared at the sight, phones ringing as people received and made calls about the matter.

It felt surreal. I barely even noticed it as I stood there, waiting and unintentionally holding my breath. Where was my father? He would make it out. Surely he would. No one would leave the mayor inside to die, not when he was so old. No one could be that cruel, could they?

But as the minutes drew on, and fewer and fewer stragglers stumbled from the building, I got the sick feeling in my stomach again. I knew he told me not to go in. He'd made that abundantly clear, but I couldn't leave my father to die.

"Daddy!" I screamed, rushing towards the building before the arriving firefighters and policemen could stop me. "Daddy, where are you?"

I wasn't even sure what floor I was on anymore. I'd had to take the stairs; the elevator wasn't an option now, not this late in the game. I hadn't been able to call out anymore at a certain point, and I was so disoriented that I didn't think I could find my way out, with or without my father.

Stumbling forward, I tried to take a breath, only to succeed in inhaling a large amount of smoke. "Daddy?" I wheeze, barely able to see anything but swearing I might have seen movement. Then again, it might have only been a flame, or even more likely, my imagination. "Daddy, where are you?"

I sink to my knees, choking on the air, when the thinnest whisper reaches my ears, so faint I'm not sure if I imagined it or not. "Chloe?"

I manage to croak out a response, stretching my hand out in an attempt to reach towards where I think he is. "Daddy! It's okay, I'm here."

But it's so hot, and my fingers burn and cry out from my effort. Eyes watering, I try to blink them away and see through the smoke, to get a look at my father and how I need to go about prying him out. But it's all too much. It's so hard to breathe, and I can't see him or feel him, and I don't know where he is. All the effort is too much, and I sink down in limp defeat, welcoming unconsciousness and hoping it will take me quickly.

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

"It's _what_?" I practically shout at Nino over the phone, not believing my ears. "How?"

"They don't know. The fire alarms hadn't gone off for some reason. They're trying to reduce the damage, but they aren't sure anything will be salvageable." Nino sounds tired, and while he's obviously distressed and concerned, the stress of the game has worn us all down. I myself am guilty of being rather numb to the event, though I still am horrified enough to react. "They found Chloe though. She's alive, somehow. She's burned, obviously. Apparently she'd ran back in to look for her dad, but collapsed along the way. She's lucky to not have gotten hurt even more."

Guilt wells up in my stomach as I wonder if I could've transformed, if Ladybug could've saved them, but that would've doomed my old friends. "What about her father?"

Nino hesitates before obviously just choosing the blunt route. "They haven't found him yet, but hopes aren't high. He's old, Mari. They think too old."

My voice catches in my throat. "Oh, poor Chloe." I had wanted to have a simple conversation with Nino about Ivan having his challenge and speculating on what it could've been, seeing as he still hadn't told me, but it had become so much more serious. "Do you think it might have been-"

"-her challenge?" I can almost see him shake his head. "I don't know, dudette. I just don't know. Not anymore."

I take a deep breath, fighting back tears as I come to terms with just how awful things are for us right now. "I gotta let you go, Nino. I...I gotta take a breather." I hang up before I can hear his answer, though I doubt he'd deny me it.

I walk over to my window, throwing it open and trying to ignore the imagined feeling of heat on my face from the fire. I can't see it from here, but I know that hotel all too well. Breathing in the fresh, _cold_ nightair, I force myself to calm down. Panicking will do no good. And despite how Chloe has treated me, I have to reach out to her. I have to let her know that someone is here to support her, to help her. Especially if this was the Gamemaker's doing.

It's so hard, especially after how she treated me. How she treated our whole class. But that's just it. She's a classmate, and even if she was cruel to me, I have to put that behind me. I need to be mature and reach out. Although if she doesn't want my help...

No, no, I have to try even if she doesn't want me to at first.

Maybe I can ever offer to let her stay with me, if she doesn't have anywhere else to. She probably will have money to get her own place though, and I'm sure people will line up to let her stay with them. But the gesture should be appreciated, if she doesn't hate me enough to ignore my wish to support her right now.

But still, the thought of Chloe staying with me makes me shudder. I'll have to work on that.

I shut the window, turning to tell Tikki what I've resolved to do, but she's already flown in front of my face, panic written all over her tiny features. "Marinette, something has happened to Plagg!"

It's the first time I've ever seen the tiny kwami cry.

* * *

 **Another short chapter. Sorry, this was a really hard one to write a ton on, which is partly why I included the Marinette snippet. However, I also just wanted to end with that teaser. I would have just scrapped it and continued to stare at a blank screen, but I think this is the best I have for now. Maybe at some point I'll rewrite this down the road, after I've updated this story further and others, but for now I want to get you guys something. Was it still okay? Or did it suck? My apologies if it did, but I wanted to get you guys _something_. I've taken too long as it is. What did you guys think of the challenge? Were you expecting Chloe to actually do hers? How do you think her going in to find her dad will affect things? What about Tikki's statement to Marinette? Were you expecting it? How do you think Tikki knows? _What_ do you think she knows? Who do you think will have the next challenge? Let me know in a review!**

 **And before I forget, let me respond to your reviews!**

 **ButterBlythe : I'm glad it's interesting! Sorry the update took so long. :c**

 **Duckwhisker: Thank you! I'm sorry I took so long to get this update out. It's been far too long and that is completely my fault!**

 **pinksakura271 : His challenge had to come around eventually. c; And I dunno, even though she most certainly isn't perfect, I don't think she believes everyone loves her. Plus, it was Ivan's choice to text her. You can't blame Marinette for being supportive when he reached out first. :p I agree, Lila and Rose's challenges have been my favorites so far. But we're getting back into the gritty next to, and we're not even at my favorite one yet. :3**

 **Maximus: No, I hate you. ;-; Stop putting winky faces in your reviews. (I kid, I kid. This dork is my friend in real life, so for anyone concerned by my response for any reason, don't worry. I'm only teasing because he teases me about my stories).**

 **Anyways, again, major apologies for not updating sooner and for this one being on the shorter side. I promise, the next ones will be longer again. We're moving back into the gruesome territory that Lila's challenge entered now that Chloe's challenge is out of the way. c: Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter despite its length and not quite as nice quality compared to others.**

 **See you next time (which should be sooner than this last gap has been)!**

 **~ Dagger**


	8. Chapter 8 - Plagued

**Chapter Eight - Plagued**

 **Well, here we go again! D: This will be a somewhat gruesome chapter if all goes according to plan, so hang on. Sorry updates have been far and few between! I have a few questions at the end of this one for you guys about updates, so please stick around for that. It's to help me figure out some future update stuff. c: Anyways, on with the story!**

* * *

 _"It is in fact agreed that I am the plague, the cholera of the benevolent and generous men who are interested in art and that, when I show myself with my plasters, even the Emperor of the Sahara would flee."_

 _\- Camille Claudel_

* * *

 _Marinette's Point of View_

* * *

My mind is reeling as I ride to the hospital, biting my lip as I make my way to the hospital. Nino sits in the driver's seat beside me, also silent as he thinks. We are both in our own worlds. No doubt he is dwelling on Alya, wondering what has become of her in this horrid game.

As for me? My mind flutters between two things, never letting me dwell on one long enough to truly acquaint myself with the idea.

I never thought I'd be going to see Chloe, of all people, by choice. And in the hospital no less. It's an absolutely crazy concept for me to try and wrap my head around. How on earth did we get to this point? We don't even know if Chloe will even let us visit her, but somehow Nino and I came to the conclusion to try anyways. I'm almost afraid to find out what condition the blonde is in, especially due to the news delivered to the public yesterday.

The fire happened four days ago, and just last night they confirmed the death of Mayor Bourgeois. Nino and I had tried to visit Chloe the following morning of the fire, but the staff forbade any visitors at that time. Now, we're trying again, but there's dread pooling in me.

How is the blonde going to be handling things? Is she going to be alright?

And yet my mind quickly flickers back to the other topic haunting my thoughts. Tikki's dire words from last night come to the forefront of my mind and only serve to worsen the sick feeling in my stomach. I never thought I'd see the poor kwami cry; she has always been so positive and cheerful, encouraging me throughout it all. Somehow, the notion that even she could cry never crossed my mind.

And yet, last night, she wept. She wept for Plagg, a name I had previously never once heard her utter. I was confused, and despite my best efforts, she was inconsolable. Eventually, I managed to at least coax who he was from her, and I suppose I should have guessed it on the mere basis of her not knowing that many people.

Plagg was Chat Noir's kwami, and something had happened to him. Something awful. Tikki wasn't sure what, or she wouldn't tell me, but it was bad enough that she had not stopped crying. As of right now, she was silently weeping in my bag, a fact I was trying so desperately hard to ignore because I had no idea what to do for her.

Or for myself. Because if something had happened to Plagg, what did that mean for Chat? How would he transform? If there was an akuma, would there be any hero to stop it? Perhaps Master Fu could give out one of the other Miraculous, at least temporarily, but the problem would still remain of who would purify it. Besides, who was to say that Master Fu even had a way to _know_ that either of the heroes was missing in action? The risk of retaliation on the Gamemaker's part if he were to find out is too great to take. He somehow managed to learn my identity, or so I assume based off his message; what's to stop him from knowing everything else?

I can't risk letting him know where the other Miraculous are kept either.

So instead, I'm forced to keep dwelling on Tikki's constant anguish. How can I help my friend when I don't even know what's happening to her? It's obvious that she cares for Plagg, perhaps more than she realizes, or at least cares to admit.

 _"He's hurt! Oh gosh, he's hurt, Marinette, and I can't help!"_ The wails still ring in my ears, despite my best efforts to drown them out. _"I'm his other half. I should_ be _there, help him, but I can't. I don't even know where he is! What if something happens to him? I'll never forgive myself! He's my other half. I can't lose him, I just can't!"_

I scream and scramble to recover my balance as I lurch forward, drawn out of my thoughts by Nino smashing his foot down on the brake. "Nino!" My eyes meet his, cutting off any further retort from me.

That's the first thing either of us have spoken since we met up. We hadn't even talked when he arrived at my house and I got in the car. I didn't properly look before, but now that I _am_ , he's an obvious and absolute wreck. In the mess that is this 'game,' I now can see that I forgot I wasn't the only one with problems here. Nino may conceal it better than I can, but even he can't hide it forever. I don't think it's much of a stretch to say he hasn't slept in days, and his hands are shaky as they grip the wheel. His hair is unkempt and matted, and his glasses are fogged up. Heck, even his outfit looks a bit askew, as if he simply rolled out of bed still wearing it.

"I'm sorry." He looks away, his voice unexpectedly hoarse.

"Oh, Nino..." I trail off, also looking away to instead stare at my now _fascinating_ hands, which are folded in my lap. "I'm sorry." This time, I can't even manage to get my voice above a whisper.

It's like we're both walking on eggshells around the other, afraid the glass dam keeping all of our feelings from spilling out will break, and that both of us will be unable to recover.

He doesn't meet my gaze when I decide to face him again, opting to mutter, "I'll be fine. Don't pity me, Marinette."

As the light turns green and he turns into the visitors' parking lot for the hospital, I bite my lip. "You don't have to be strong for my sake."

His hands tighten on the wheel, and I'm a little frightened by the sudden intensity of his voice. "Yes, I do. I have to be strong. For you. For everyone else. Fo-For _her_..." His voice breaks as he pulls into a spot, and he rests his head on the steering wheel after pulling his keys from the ignition. "What if something's happened to her?"

"I won't let that happen."

This brings his head back up as he turns to scowl at me and spit out, "You can't promise that! You can't promise her safety. No one can! And until all the challenges are said and done, we won't know. We won't know if the Gamemaker kept his word, if any of them are okay! She's a fighter, Mari. What if she's gotten herself killed? I'm helpless to do anything and I've never felt more useless in all my life. How can she love someone who can't even protect her when she's in trouble?"

I flinch at his words, beginning to curl into a ball. "I-I'm sor...sorry...Nino..."

Regaining his temper, Nino's gaze softens. "Gosh, I..." He adjusts his hat and closes his eyes to take a breath. "I'm so sorry, Mari. It's just so hard and...Ugh," He groans, placing his face in his hands, "I know that was awful to say. You miss her too; she's your best friend. I know that. What I said was insensitive. You feel the same way. It's just thinking of her in there, of Adrien in there..." I try not to start panicking at the thought, knowing one of us needs to stay calm even when the person we love is in danger, "Of _all_ of them in there...I don't know how to handle the fact that we can't do anything besides play along. But it's not fair for me to take that out on you."

He reaches for my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, slowly managing to get me to unfurl from the closed off position. "It's o...okay. I'm sorry too." Letting out a sigh, I push my door open and unbuckle before glancing back at him. "Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be to see Chloe by choice."

* * *

In the end, Chloe is asleep, so we don't have the chance to talk to her. They did let us in to see her, but only for a few minutes. It was enough time to leave a letter with my phone number and the offer for her to come stay with me if she needed a place.

That was easier than looking at the state she was in now.

It was probably for the best that she was asleep; I don't know if I could have held a conversation with her without wincing if she'd been awake. At least one hand has been completely burned and mangled, and there are other burn marks that decorate her arms. No doubt there are some on her legs too. Her right eyebrows has been completely singed off; to be honest, the entire right side of her face seems to have been licked by the flames. Some parts aren't as bad as others, but she's obviously been damaged. The whole right side of her head has had the hair burned right off, and even the left side has been significantly singed.

I can't imagine what she looked like when they first pulled her out. Even though she made my life miserable, I _never_ would have wished this upon her. She's going to be devastated when she wakes up.

I'm going to come back and see her when I get the chance. I know I probably won't be, but I wish I could be there when she wakes up. Chloe is going to need someone to be there for her.

Nino drove me in silence once again as he brought me home; I think both of us were shocked at the sight of Chloe. Of course, we'd both seen our share of what the challenges had done. I was _there_ to see what Lila had to do, and we all saw the mental state Kim and Rose devolved into as they both failed their respective challenges. Something has happened to Ivan too, though he won't speak.

Still, I don't think any of it _really_ sunk in till we saw Chloe. Chloe, the selfish girl so obsessed with her looks and belongings that she couldn't care for anyone else; as far as we knew, she didn't even care for her father. She'd been the way her entire life, at least as far as we knew. And yet, she let everything burn; sure, we don't _know_ that it was her challenge, but something inside me tells me that it is. The fact that it destroyed everything she cared for, that it took it _all_ from her, is horrifying. Sickening. The reports even said that she ran back in, screaming for her father, before anyone could stop her.

She _was_ safe, and she went back in for her father. Even worse, she didn't succeed. Her father still died. The fire still took everything.

It makes me want to throw up.

Now I'm home, and having to face my other situation again: Tikki. She's still crying, though now that it's just us two she's given up trying to stay quiet. I cradle her in my cupped hands, biting my lip as I feel her shaking. What am I supposed to do to comfort the crying kwami? I'm so lost and as I hear her pitiful cries, I'm about ready to cry alongside her.

"Tikki, how am I supposed to help you?" I beg, slipping to my knees and trying hard to keep the sympathetic and stressed tears at bay. "I don't know how to help!"

"Then feel." Her voice has gone flat, and she turns to look at me, her eyes glowing white as she does.

A coldness rushes through my body, and I gasp in shock, nearly dropping my small friend. A ringing floods my ears as my vision goes black, and my heart begins to beat wildly in my chest as I frantically try to clear my head. Where am I? What did Tikki do?

Slowly, my eyes begin to adjust to the darkness around me. I can see the bare, practically rotting wood ceiling of whatever room I'm in if I strain my eyes. When I try to move my arms, they refuse, as if they are pinned down. I try to turn to get a better bearing for my surroundings, but a burning sensation runs through me, forcing me to halt any further efforts. Despite my best efforts, I find myself shaking, terrified of the situation I've found myself in.

I can feel one of my ears twitch, but I don't take much time to dwell on that oddity due to the noise that suddenly assaults it. Someone, somewhere nearby, is screaming. As I strain at my bonds, trying to hear something more than just the screaming to get a sense of what's going on while ignoring my pain, I realize a few things. Firstly, the person I believe I initially heard screaming is a female. But even more important than that is that she - whoever she may be - is not the only one screaming.

I begin to writhe even more against my will, panicking and desperately trying to force my mouth open so I can scream alongside those I can hear.

The sudden creak of a floorboard halts my movement instinctively. Something tells me I know what's coming, but I've never been here before. How could I possibly know who this is? I hear the door slowly open, and begin to thrash about as the footsteps come even closer.

"Hellooooo," The voice drawls. Despite my best efforts, I don't recognize it. "How are you doing today, my dear Plagg?"

"Screw. You!" My mouth moves on its own accord, and as a masked face leans over me, I suddenly realize what's going on.

Has Tikki...allowed me to see what Plagg is seeing? Or at least what he experienced previously? Is this what she had to watch earlier?

"Oh dear," I try to determine anything about the voice to clue me in as to who this could be, but I can't even figure out what gender the speaker is, "I guess you're still upset about your...ahem, situation."

"Why are you doing this?"

The speaker laughs, shaking their head. "Why would I _not_ want to do this?" Before I - well, Plagg - can properly formulate a response, there is the sound of metal against metal, and I instinctively flinch at the sound. "Aw, is my little kitty scared?"

"What did you do to my kid?" The words come spitting from my mouth as I begin to thrash around again, but despite my efforts to bluster my way through this I can feel the panic welling up inside of me.

When my tormentor doesn't respond, I can tell Plagg is going to open his mouth to antagonize them again. I cringe, desperately wishing there was a way to stop him. He's making things _worse_ for himself. Can't he see that? And why can't he cataclysm himself out of this situation?

But before he can say anything else and before I can dwell on why he can't escape, the monster looming over me suddenly moves, and a scream rips its way from my mouth as pain ripples like shock waves through my arm. I writhe about, trying to escape whatever has plunged its way into my arm, but that just makes things worse. Still, I can't stop myself from thrashing around, practically choking on my screams of pain.

"So kwamis _do_ bleed." As if to prove their point, they dangle a pair of scissors in front of my face, and the blades are covered in both old _and_ fresh blood. "How peculiar. I would've assumed you couldn't."

Their other hand reaches forward, tugging at my face just below my eye. They adjust their grip on the scissors, closing them and grasping the blades tight together. As if to taunt me, they slowly bring them closer, and all I can do is stare and gasp in pain as they approach.

The pressure applied is light at first, just enough to make me aware that it's there. "How fast do kwamis regenerate, Plagg? _Do_ they regenerate? Surely you must recover from your wounds. I highly doubt you'd have survived this long otherwise; I can't have been the only one to discover one of your weaknesses. So how long does it take?"

I stare up at them, glaring, and they sigh. But their exasperation is obviously not genuine; a wide, rather maniacal grin has taken their face as they lean a bit closer, breathing directly on my face. "Pity." The blade digs a bit deeper. "I guess we'll have to find out the hard way then, won't we?"

Before I can even process the statement, or try to figure out a way to escape this foresaken hell Plagg has been left in, the scissor blades break the skin. Blood runs down my face, some getting into my eyes as I force yet another scream from my throat. I thrash about, despite my efforts to try and stop moving so as not to make the wound worse, and eventually give up even trying to avoid it as the demon tormentor pulls their hand away.

The scissor blades are left lodged in my head, and blood continues to drip down my face, trailing down into my mouth. I'm not even in a position where I can spit it from my mouth, forced instead to try and swallow it before I drown in it. Any dignity that the kwami - and by extent, that I - once had has been stripped away.

All that's left is a sobbing, bleeding mess.

"What happens if I hack one of those nice little ears of yours off? Think I could rip it off with my bare hand?" They laugh gleefully, swiping a finger across my face and raising it to their face to lick the blood right off it. "Ooh, the blood of a kwami. It tastes positively _devine_." They chuckle at their joke as panicked sobs continue to wrack my chest. "But who am I kidding, I couldn't rip your ear off all on my own."

Their hand slips back out of view, presumably to their belt, or a table, or to wherever what else they have with them is kept. I don't even try to disguise my anguish now: is it mine? Plagg's? I don't even know where Plagg's reactions end and mine start anymore. Any sense of self has been lost in this foresaken place.

Why are we being dragged through Hell?

Then the hand comes back into view, and with it, a nice with what has to be fairly fresh bloodstains. "Just used this yesterday on a friend downstairs. It's one of my favorites. Cuts everything up so cleanly. Want to see it for yourself?"

I squeeze my eyes shut in desperation to pretend that I'm anywhere else, inciting further laughter. Pitifully, my now hoarse voice begs for relief. "Please, make it stop! I'll do anything, just stop! Stop hurting me and my Chosen!"

The anguish just seems to excite them; I can hear our tormentor's breath quicken. "Darling, this might be _your_ nightmare, but it's _my_ fantasy."

"Tikki!" I don't even know if it's me or Plagg that wails the name.

As the tip of the knife touches my ear, it feels as if ice washes over me, and suddenly I can move. I leap to my feet, screaming and clutching at my arm and face. My eyes open, but at first all I can see is red. The smell of blood overwhelms me, and I choke on it for a few moments before releasing the meager amount of food I'd eaten that day onto the floor before me. Screams turning to broken sobs, I fall on my knees in my vomit, struggling to breathe properly. My hands shake as I run them over my arms, trying desperately to assure myself they're in one piece despite the knowledge that just a few moments prior, one has been brutally stabbed. After another minute of this, I brush a hand over my forehead, trying desperately to assure myself that there is no wound there, no scissors left behind.

I am here. I am in my house. I hold back on further sobs of terror, or perhaps relief? I can't tell which they are anymore as I place my head in my hands, quietly weeping. Though I know it's not real, that I am not there any longer, I swear I can still feel the tip of the knife at my ear. The laughter of the person in the room lingers in my ears, and I cover them instead of my face, trying desperately to block it out and failing miserably.

"Stop!" I moan, throwing my head backwards and clenching my eyes shut. "Get out of my head! I'm not near you anymore. I'm home! Let me go!" Breathe quickening once more, my voice grows louder as my shaking grows more violent. "Let. Me. Go!"

I howl the last word, practically clawing at my head before a voice suddenly breaks through. "Marinette!"

Everythign suddenly stops. I freeze, afraid to move. What if I'm back there? I don't want to go back. I can't go back! But as I slowly force one eye open and then the other, I see that I am still in my home. The demon isn't here; there is no blood, no scissors, no laughter. As I uncover my ears, I can't stop my hands from shaking or my heart from pounding, but I do my best to regulate my breathing and regain some sense of calmness.

Tikki suddenly floats into view, looking drained and distressed, yet also guilty. "I-I'm so sorry..."

I offer her no response, instead placing my head against my knees. She doesn't say anything; no doubt she's hesitant after the absolute breakdown I just had. And yet, after what must be at least five minutes of me staying like that, she slowly nuzzles up against my neck. I don't push her away. I need her closeness now.

Finally, when the scent of vomit becomes too much to bear, I force myself to stand on shaky feet, and Tikki clings to my shoulder, no doubt still trying to apologize for whatever it was that she did. "I...I'm going to go take a...take a shower..."

I'll clean the vomit up after I clean myself.

Maybe the shower will wash the stench of blood off me.

That and the terror that still clings to every part of me.

* * *

 **And there we have it! No challenge this chapter, but I wanted to give you guys a glimpse at what Plagg is experiencing right now. No Chloe just yet since I wanted that to take the focus, but we got to see a bit of what happened there. No worries, we'll be seeing more from her in the next few chapters, I promise!**

 **So I mentioned having some questions for you guys at the beginning of this chapter, which I want to ask now. Firstly, what do you guys prefer? Longer updates with more time in between or shorter updates faster? They wouldn't be less than a thousand, but normally I try to at least hit 2,000 words, if not 3,000, and if you guys would rather get updates faster I'm willing to shorten them for the sake of faster uploads. Secondly, do you guys _want_ me to have a chapter for Nathalie's and Kalil's trials, or can I explain them without actually dedicating a chapter to them? If you guys want a chapter on each, then I will oblige, I will just have to figure out whose perspective I will write from, as I don't think i can write from either. However, if you guys don't mind merely getting detailed descriptions - perhaps from the characters themselves at the next meeting - then I can also do that, which will also mean faster updates as it means I'll get to two of the challenges I'm most excited for.**

 **Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Dang, this story is a ride to write. It's definitely fun to unlessh the inner sadistic figure for a bit, but also draining. Emotionally taxing, for sure. Anyways, thanks for reading! I'll try to update faster next time. c: Now I'm back in the groove again though, so I should be a bit more constant.**

 **Until next time!**

 **~ Dagger**


	9. Chapter 9 - Heads or Tails

**Chapter Nine - Heads or Tails**

 **uh oh uh oh uh oh I'm back uh oh uh oh uh oh**

* * *

 _"I need to be alone. I need to ponder my shame and my despair in seclusion; I need the sunshine and the paving stones of the streets without companions, without conversation, face to face with myself, with only the music of my heart for company._

 _~ Henry Miller_

* * *

 _Nino's Point of View_

* * *

It'd been a crazy two weeks since seeing the state Chloe was in in the hospital. Marinette had basically gone off the radar. I only managed to speak to her a little yesterday, when despite not answering any of our messages, she showed up for the group's meeting. She didn't say much; she actually looked pretty sleep-deprived, and maybe even a little sick. It probably didn't help that both Nathalie and Jalil had faced their respective tasks by this meeting, and so both shared their results with us.

Jalil's task basically boiled down to him deciding what was worth more: someone's past or someone's future. He was told that, using his job position, he was to steal an artifact from the Egyptian exhibits - he told us the name at the time, but I don't care for the semantics of it all and couldn't be bothered to remember it - and destroy it. If he didn't within 24 hours, the person tethered to him would die. And Jalil did it. He stole it and destroyed it, all because he couldn't bare to see Alix die. He said that if he wasn't caught before our friends were rescued, he would turn himself in afterwards. But until then, he couldn't risk it because he wouldn't be able to explain why without endangering our friends. However, he swore he intended to once everything was said and done. I personally felt like the man got off easy all things considered, but apparently destroying a piece of history took a toll on him.

And Nathalie? She was an absolute mess. We could barely even decipher what she was saying at first. However, we eventually managed to string together the bits and pieces she gave us, and it wasn't pretty.

The implication of it all hadn't even sunk in yet.

Apparently, her task sprung from the idea of the overloaded schedules she was always making. Which sucks, because it generally isn't her fault. After all, it's her boss, Gabriel Agreste, who wants all those things scheduled. But either way, that's where the Gamemaker's inspiration came from. Hiding the pages of a calendar in the sewers, it was Nathalie's job to travel through there, find them, and reassemble the calendar at the entrance she started at.

She barely managed to find four before running out of time.

I don't really remember what all happened after that. Jalil began trying to comfort her. Most of us just sat there, staring at each other as we tried to let what she said sink in. I don't even remember when Marinette left, but when I did finally have the presence of mind to look to her, to make sure she was holding up alright, she was gone.

The poor bluenette must have been distraught after that news. Despite not being able to say much around Adrien, Alya told me that she genuinely loved the guy. And if we were to believe Nathalie was tethered to him...

Once again, I feel sick to my stomach. It's so surreal. Even though all the facts point to it, I still can't accept it. There's no way my best friend is dead.

Right?

Right?

Right?

Breathing heavily, I pace around my room. There are two of us left now. Two. Marinette...and me.

The real question is, which one of us will the Gamemaker target first?

When there's a knock at the door to my apartment, I don't even try to fool myself into believing it may be someone else checking in. That's my answer.

I open the door, and then I'm out like a light.

* * *

I wake up in complete and udder darkness.

"Hello, Nino Lahiffe," The deep, distorted sounded voice sounds right at home in the horror show that has become my life.

"What do you want, sicko?" I snap back, looking around to try and see where this psychopath might be hiding.

A light bulb flickers on above me, giving off just enough light for me to see the things directly surrounding me. I've been hooked up to some sort of machine that's screen occasionally flashes another number. As my breathing slows, the number lowers, and it's only then that I realize what the wires attached to me are telling the machine. It's a heart rate monitor.

"Heads or tails?" The voice booms out again.

"What?"

"Heads or tails?"

After everything my friends have said, I know there's no point in trying to continue questioning him or refuting his actions. That would only end up harming Alya. No, I need to obey him. And that means making a choice.

"Tails?" I finally ask, going with the one my gut tells me to pick as my heart rate once again begins to quicken.

"How...disappointing." For a moment, I panic, ready to beg to choose 'heads' instead, but then the man I can only presume is the Gamemaker says, "You've chosen the much less interesting option." I make the mistake of breathing a sigh of relief. "On second thought, perhaps that choice can influence something different. Otherwise, this would be far too boring."

"Wait, you can't just change your mind like tha-"

Now he's angry, and I curse myself for protesting. "The rules of the task have yet to be laid out for you! Therefore, I have every right for them to change. Understood?" I read that threat loud and clear. This time, I simply nod, not trusting myself to speak. "Good. Now, Mr. Lahiffe, this is how things are going to work. As I'm sure you'll have noticed by now, you have been hooked up to a machine, one you most likely will recognize as a heart rate monitor. That monitor is going to be incredibly important to you in this task.

"The goal of the game is simple: keep your heat rate below a sixty, and you have nothing to worry about." I can already see the number beginning to spike up, much closer to one hundred than the sixty he's mentioned. The Gamemaster chuckles as I try to remaster my breathing to take it back to a slow, even pace. "However, if after an hour it's spiked above eighty? Well, it's bad news for your partner."

"So it's never allowed to go past eighty?"

"If you can get it back under control before the hour is up, then it is allowed. But, if the hour is up and the number is eighty or more, you lose."

Okay. So as long as I can calm myself down, I'll be alright. "Do I have a clock?"

There's a pause, and then a TV I couldn't see before lights up. It hangs from the ceiling, not casting enough light to give me any better of a view of the room, but there's a timer brought up on it for me that has yet to be started. "A fair enough request. There is your timer. Any other questions?"

I think for a moment. This man is particular on rules and loopholes. Is there anything I might have missed asking about?

Despite it taking me a minute, I do recognize one. "Wait, what happens if my heart rate ends somewhere between sixty and eighty?"

"The one paired to you won't die, if that's what you're asking."

Recognizing that that's all the answer he will most likely give, I nod my head in assent. "Alright. Then I'm ready."

He laughs again, actually having the audacity to sound amused. "Good, because your challenge begins now."

For a moment, I sit there in silence. My heart rate spikes up on the monitor as I wait, anticipating what might be to come. But as nothing continues to happen, I force myself to begin regulating my breathing again. I have to focus. I can't slip up. Slowly, I manage to get my heart rate down to 55, despite my heart's requests for air to be pumped to it just a little faster.

But after three minutes, I suddenly hear a whimper. My heart rate spikes back up, once again forcing me to fight to lower it again. What was that?

There's another one after a minute, and then what sounds like crying. "No no no. Please, no!"

"Alya?" I breathe her name out, eyes widening. Is she here? "Alya, babe, is that you?"

"Get away!" Her voice comes through what I have to presume are speakers somewhere in the room that I can't see.

With a sinking feeling, I realize she can't hear me. But currently, any thoughts of heart rate are disregarded as I try to figure out just what I'm hearing.

Faintly, ever so faintly, I pick up the sound of ripping fabric. And I almost throw up as the severity of the situation hits me. I can still hear Alya's crying, but it's muffled. I can only guess that she herself has been muffled as tears begin to prick at my eyes. No, no, this can't be happening. That can't be what's about to happen. Surely not. Surely no one is sick enough to-

A scream breaks through, muffled as it is, followed by a slap. The microphone being used to broadcast this sound must be turned up a couple notches, because suddenly I can hear spit being swished around, as well as someone straining against chains.

"No no, oh gosh, please, leave her alone-" I choke out the words as tears begin to spill from my eyes. "Don't touch her!"

There's no answer. All I hear in response is a moan and a chuckle, which I suppose is answer enough. He's not going to stop.

I go to cover my ears, but it's only now that I realize my hands are locked in place. I've been strapped to this chair the whole time and hadn't even realized it. It's now that I realize how hard I'm breathing, my rage clouding much rational thought.

I feel so weak. Pathetic. I can't help her. She's defenseless.

No.

No, I can help her. I have to do this challenge for her. It's all I can do to help now.

As the moaning grows louder, intermixed with whimpers and cries and other horrible noises, I force myself to breathe.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

There's another scream.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

"Do you like that?" The Gamemaker is asking. Is he asking her or me?

In.

Out.

In.

Someone is panting.

Out.

In.

Out.

More ripping noises echo in the background.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

The crying grows louder.

My heart beats faster.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

For one excruciating hour, I sit in that position, forced to listen to what the Gamemaker's done.

And then, a beeping rings out, signaling the end of the hour. The sobbing on the other end continues with a new fervor. It sounds like something drops to the ground in the background.

"Let's see how you've done now, Mr. Lahiffe. What was your final number when the hour ended?" My breathing quickens despite my attempts to calm it. "No need to calm down for my sake. I said an hour, and I gave you one. I don't care what your heart rate is now."

I sit there in agony as I await the result. I didn't even think to look at the screen. I'd been so focused on just trying to pretend I wasn't here and keep a steady breathing pace, only occasionally glancing to the cross. Oh gosh, what was I thinking? I should've been checking to make sure I was under the limit! What if-

"...why, I must say, I am incredibly disappointed."

My heart sinks. No, no, no. No, don't tell me-

"A 79. So close to letting me have some _real_ fun. At least I'll get to play a little bit. After all, it's not below a 60."

And then everything goes black again.

* * *

 **Dang, that wasn't my initial idea for Nino's challenge. However, what I initially had wasn't clicking with me. At first, I changed it into this idea of forcing him to dance for two hours while keeping his heart rate above a certain number. After all, Nino is a music lover. But then, as I was thinking along those lines, well... _this_ sick challenge was formed. It's way less descriptive than many of the ones before it. Partially because I don't want to have to put this rating any higher unless I really have to, and partially because I simply couldn't stomach it. Out of all the challenges, this one and the first one are the only two that have made me physically squirm to write, but while the first one just made me cringe, this one actually makes me feel a bit sick. Hopefully the implication of things managed to come across.**

 **Normally I'd give my whole spiel about reviews and ask you guys questions, but this chapter's left me in a weird place. I don't regret writing the chapter, which is why I'm posting it. However, I don't feel it's right to end it on an incredibly chipper note, though please do review with any thoughts, opinions, comments, or questions. This one was, to put it simply, brutal to write. To be honest, I thought the next - and last - challenge would be the worst in that category, especially since that has been one of the few challenges not to change throughout this entire process, but I'm not sure now. I guess we'll just have to see what you guys think and have you judge that.**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading, and I'll see you guys next chapter.**

 **~ Dagger**


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